


Finally Enough

by inkheart9459



Category: The Greatest Showman (2017)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-31
Updated: 2020-04-13
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:14:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 33,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23402821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inkheart9459/pseuds/inkheart9459
Summary: When the curtain rises on Jenny Lind, Charity feels her breath freeze in her throat. When she sees how Phineas is looking at the other woman her heart stops. She could lose everything, she can see it in his eyes...but maybe it doesn't have to be that way. Looking back at Jenny an idea forms, and perhaps instead of losing everything they could all gain something that's so much more.
Relationships: Charity Barnum/Jenny Lind, Charity Barnum/P. T. Barnum, Charity Barnum/P. T. Barnum/Jenny Lind, P. T. Barnum/Jenny Lind
Comments: 20
Kudos: 55





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, welcome, to this fic and my accidental descent into TGS fandom because of one Jenny Lind and the thought "huh but what if instead of a love triangle this was just a triad" because Jenny Lind and I'm gay. Good news, it's already completed I'm just cleaning up the chapters progressively. Other random news includes that this is my 100th fic posted on AO3 and honestly I'm real down with it being a return to poly fic. Hope y'all enjoy while ya cooped up. It'll be nice and fluffy/smutty to distract us all from *gestures vaguely outside.*

Charity sat down in the box right in front of the stage with the girls, the seats of honor, she knew from her countless times here as a child. It still felt just as stuffy as it had then, but with the girls and knowing that Phin was in the wings waiting for the show to begin, she didn’t feel as suffocated as she had then. There was still a prickle of worry. If this woman wasn’t as good as her reputation said, Phin would be devastated. Secondarily it would be a rather large financial hit, but she didn’t so much care about that, more that her husband would sink into himself and it would take her weeks to draw him out again. 

But then Phin was finally stepping onto the stage and she could see the nerves in the way he twitched and fidgeted. His voice faltered and she wanted to be on stage beside him, encouraging him, telling him with just her presence that it was ok. But then he was looking at her and she nodded slightly and he gathered himself, and that was enough. Phin took a bow and walked off stage and the curtains opened finally.

And standing there was a woman more beautiful than Charity had ever seen in her life. She’d seen the images on the promotional flyers. There had been no avoiding it really considering how they were scattered about their home from a scatterbrained Phin. But those depictions had nothing on the real woman. Firey red hair and blue eyes bright enough that Charity took in a sharp breath, and that dress, white as snow, making her look ethereal, like Charity was just dreaming this moment. 

Her heart started to beat hard. She hadn’t felt this way in a long, long while. There had been Phin, of course, but there had also been Rebecca from finishing school. When Phin’s letters had slowed while he was working on the railroad and she had almost lost hope for him coming back, there had been Rebecca there to comfort her. Charity had followed her around, happy just to be in the other girl’s presence. But then she had graduated and gone off to be married and Charity had been sad for a few long weeks until she had received news from Phin once more. There had been other women who had drawn her attention in passing, but her loyalty had always lain with Phin.

Then Jenny Lind opened her mouth and started to sing and Charity felt herself stop breathing entirely. Dear god above the woman was an angel, she had to be.

“Mommy,” Helen whispered. “She sings so well!”

“Yes, darling, she does.” Charity wasn’t even sure if she managed a whisper, she was far too distracted, staring at the woman in front of her, listening, taking everything in. She understood now why Phin’s letters had been glowing about this woman. There was always a gravity about stage performers, there had to be for people to pay to watch them, but Jenny Lind, she was different, more. She was a woman that if Charity wasn’t married she would chase down and follow to the ends of the Earth, hoping, just  _ hoping _ that the other woman would look at her.

She reached out for one of her daughter’s hands to ground herself. Caroline laced her fingers through her mother’s willingly, smiling up at her, clearly also entranced by the woman on the stage. She couldn’t fault her daughter’s tastes.

Finally she managed to glance away from Ms. Lind and into the wings where Phin was standing and her breath left her in another way. The way he was looking at the singer, his heart in his eyes, it was the same way he looked at her. Oh no. Oh no, this was not good. He was hers. She was his. If he left her for this woman, she didn’t know what she would do. But that look said that it was possible. There had to be a way to prevent it.

Her eyes found Ms. Lind again and her heart started beating again. She felt a blush coloring her cheeks. There were too many emotions in the moment. She couldn’t think. She knew there had to be something. Something was most likely appealing to the side of Phin that had loved her through all of childhood, so much that he had risked his own safety to make enough money to start their life together. There had never been a day where he had been unfaithful. There was no reason to think he would be now.

But the look. And just how amazing this woman was in front of her. There could be a first time.

She looked at her husband again. He had given her everything that he said he would. Though all she had wanted was to be happy, the wealth had never mattered. He had never asked for anything except to be loved in return. Perhaps. Her eyes darted to Ms. Lind again, an idea forming in her oxygen deprived brain. She would never give up the reins to Phin’s love entirely, but...she could share. But not as a tug of war, no it would have to be something mutual. Her and Phin would have to be a package deal. That would be the only way she could allow this to happen.

She could breathe again. Oxygen finally reached her brain again and she looked between Phin and Ms. Lind in turn and a shiver of anticipation slid up her spine. Both of them could be hers. If they agreed. And if they agreed there would be problems to work out, but working out problems and working within limited means had become somewhat of a speciality for her. She could do this. And the obvious first point of attack was Phin himself.

Ms. Lind finished her song and the spell broke over the crowd. Charity stood with the rest of the audience to clap and watched as the woman looked over into the wings at Phin. She saw the look, the hope, the excitement, the glow, and knew in that moment whatever interest her husband had for the woman was returned. Whatever the intricate details of her plan would be, the first step, to have the players willing to go along with the game, it had already been achieved. She smiled and bent down to the girls. 

“Let’s go find your father backstage, why don’t we?”

The girls nodded enthusiastically and the game was afoot.

\--

It took a long while for her to get Phin alone enough for long enough that she could talk freely. The girls were off with a makeup artist, showing them just how stage makeup was applied. They had been fascinated and the woman was kindly enough that Charity didn’t mind leaving them alone for a few minutes while she shuffled Phin off to another room next door and shut the door.

Phin smiled at her and swooped in for a long kiss, his excitement clear in the movement of his lips and the way his hands came up to stroke her sides. She almost melted into it and let herself be swept away by him, but she was here for a reason. If she was going to set these things in motion she needed to do it now.

She pulled back and ran her hands over his chest, sighing happily. She looked up and met his eyes. “I know you want her.” She put her finger over Phin’s mouth before he could speak to protest. “I have eyes, Phineas. I saw you waiting in the wings. I’ve seen that look on your face before, and before it was only directed right at me. This isn’t a hostile attack. Does it sound like I’m angry, dear heart?”

He took half a step before from her and looked her over, clearly confused. “No?”

“No.” She took in a deep breath and dived forward. “Do you remember Rebecca?” Of course she had told him all about her crush on the girl years later when they had been married for a year or two, half delirious with lack of sleep just after Caroline was born.

He nodded. “The girl you were half in love with in finishing school. What does that have to do with any of this?”

She looked at him for another long moment. “When Ms. Lind came on stage tonight, when she started to sing, I felt much the same as I think you did, Phin.”

He blinked. “You did?”

She nodded.

He just kept blinking, brain obviously trying to put the pieces together. “I honestly thought that was just a one time thing because you missed me. You never talked about anyone else.”

“There were other women who caught my eye, but none that I’ve ever loved. I had you.” She shrugged.

“And now?”

“I still have you. I want to have you far into the future. But Phin, I already see some crazy scheme floating around in your head having to deal with her. I know it’s not something crazy like an affair, I mean something like throwing more shows with this woman as the star, some crazy press whirlwind tour, something flashy like that. Something that would take you far away from me.”

He looked down and scratched at the back of his neck, raising up on his toes for half a second. “You always have been good at predicting my unpredictable schemes.”

“I’ve been in love with you since we were ten, dear heart. Of course I am.”

“I was planning on asking the bank to fund a Pan-American tour, sixty venues in all the biggest cities, places all the high society folk flock to, a sixty piece orchestra, and Jenny as the star. It’s going to be hugely expensive.”

“And what were you going to put up as collateral? Ships in the South China Sea?”

He blushed at that and stammered. “I, uh, I, well, uh, the house?”

She thought about that for a minute. “And if this tour goes as planned?”

“We’ll have enough to buy another house, maybe half the houses on our block. Whatever we want, really.” 

“That’s not what I really care about, I’ve told you time and again. Will it make you happy? Will it be enough?”

“I want to make sure the girls will never be the laughing stock again. I think this would cement that Barnum is a name in entertainment for all tastes and classes. I just want them to be happy. Then I’ll be happy. If it’s enough? I don’t know. I’ve always been looking for the next big thing, you know that. But I think it would buy more rest than anything else.”

“Ok then, the house is worth that risk. I want you to be satisfied. It’s what I’ve always wanted.”

He smiled widely and kissed her again and this one she let go on for longer before she pulled back again.

“But that doesn’t change my original point. You’ll be away from me with her for months with a tour like that. Time away like that, a great deal could happen. You may just look at her now and think that you could love her, may feel yourself falling and catch yourself, but months on the road like that? I know you’ll stop before anything truly happens, but it might not be before you do something you regret. And I don’t want that.”

His brow furrowed. “You just said you agreed to using the house as collateral, but this sounds almost like you’re forbidding me from going. The mixed signals here, sweetheart, are making my head hurt.”

“I have a compromise so that all of us, including possibly Ms. Lind judging by how she was looking at you at the end of her performance, can get what we want.”

“I’m all ears.”

“Invite her for dinner at the house tomorrow. I’m sure you can pitch your idea of a tour then as well, but I can also tell her that we are a package deal. If she wants you, I come with you, in all ways.”

A carnal look flashed over Phin’s eyes. 

“I was about to ask you if that was a fair compromise, but the look on your face tells me the answer. You would very much enjoy seeing Ms. Lind and I in bed together, wouldn’t you?”

He growled under his breath and surged forward and this time when Phin kissed her she didn’t pull back until someone outside ran around shouting for Phin, looking for him for the party that was about to start in the ballroom. He pulled back this time and looked down at himself, visibly out of sorts. She smirked at him and leaned forward enough to kiss his cheek.

“I’ll gather the girls. And remember to invite Ms. Lind to dinner.” She opened the door and walked out into the bustle of backstage once more.

\--

The next night Ms. Lind arrived exactly at seven. She heard the door open and the butler take her coat and lead her into the sitting room where Charity was waiting for their guest. She stood and greeted her guest with a smile and a sub-vocal gasp. The woman truly was stunning, in emerald silk that set off her hair and eyes, making the blue almost green and she wished it was the end of dinner after Phin had already proposed his scheme so perhaps she could touch this woman that was so clearly sculpted by Aphordite herself. But she refrained, air kissing the woman’s cheeks as was custom and leading her to a sofa.

“Phin is late, as he all so often is.” She smiled and shook her head. “He does love his work.”

“From the talks we had on the boat back to America he loves you and your daughters as well. He was always telling stories about all of you. Though I think my favorite was the day he took you to explore an abandoned mansion.” She looked around. “You could never tell that this was the place.”

She smiled softly. If Phin had told Ms. Lind that story, she had underestimated just how far he had fallen for this woman. He so very rarely told that story now, trying to prove that he was more than a tailor's boy that had seduced a high class woman away from her family and sense.

“Phin is more than a little romantic at heart.”

The girls came barreling into the room. She gave them a reproachful eye for half a second and they slowed down enough to be at an almost respectable pace. For as young as they were, that was all she could really ask for. She smiled as they walked up to Ms. Lind and said their hellos, already half in love with the woman themselves.

“Hello there dears, been up to anything mischievous?” Ms. Lind smiled at the girls with a conspiratorial look.

Caroline shook her head, looking just a touch panicked while Helen nodded. Charity had to stifle a laugh at that. She supposed she would find out what that was about later when something went sideways. She always did. That was what mothers did after all.

“I hope you don’t mind but the girls will be joining us for dinner tonight.” It wasn't strictly customary as young as the girls were, but if Ms. Lind reacted badly then perhaps the terms she was offering later in the night wouldn’t be offered at all. No one was going to join their lives if they weren’t at least polite to the girls.

“Not at all. I would love to hear more about Caroline’s ballet and Helen’s first forays into painting. I’m afraid at the party last night we didn’t get much time to speak and I know there must be so much more for me to hear about.” She smiled at the girls who had perked right up at her words.

Charity felt her heart constrict in her chest. Oh, God above, she hoped the woman said yes just from that interaction alone.

She heard the door open again and Phin bustled in, not even having taken off his coat, smiling at everyone in the room with that all encompassing grin that he had. 

“Well hello there, ladies. It’s all my favorite girls in one room.” He shrugged off his coat and looked at Charity. “I suppose we were only waiting for me to show up?”

She nodded. “The food was ready right on time, though I believe the chef and his assistant were exchanging quiet bets about just how late you would be.”

He laughed. “And did you get in on the action?” 

She looked up at the clock. Seven minutes past seven. The cook had bet ten. His assistant fifteen. She, with her inside information at just how eager he was to see Ms. Lind had quietly passed them as she was putting the finishing touches on the table that her bet was five and slipped a fifty cent piece down on the counter with a smile.

“I might have, and I won, though I believe I’ll take my earnings from them in my favorite dessert instead of the fifty cents I bet.”

His eyes lit up. “The honey lavender torte?”

She nodded.

“My, that does sound delicious,” Ms. Lind said looking between the two of them, a bit more guarded now.

Charity nodded. “We knew a few people in the market in the Lower East Side that grew lavender and a baker saw some of their stock on sale and experimented with it. It was successful enough that he became a fairly regular customer of the lavender vendors, but I haven’t come across anyone else who has been so struck by that particular combination.” She smiled at the other woman. “You’ll have to stop by when the chef has just made one. I’m sure you won’t regret it.”

Ms. Lind smiled. “I think I would like that.” She shot a glance at Phin who was distracted by the girls who were hugging him and already chattering about their days.

Charity stood again from her seat. “Well, since Phineas has decided to grace us with his presence, shall we?” She smiled at Phin and he smiled right back at her.

Ms. Lind stood up as well and followed the family into the dining room. Phin pulled out Ms. Lind’s chair and she sat gracefully. Charity watched her daughters have a staring contest over who was going to sit next to the woman, but Caroline eventually won and Helen slunk off to take her usual seat beside her mother. She smiled as her daughter sat down and ran her fingers absently through golden curls. She had a feeling the fights between them when they got older would be explosive, but they were young enough yet that Caroline’s additional age settled most arguments.

Phin settled at the head of the table and the first dishes were brought out for all of them. Charity hadn’t been quite sure just how fancy to go, three had seemed too few courses, seven far too many. She’d settled on four, special, but they wouldn’t be here for the entire night. She was far too eager to get to the later part of the evening. 

The first course passed in chatter about Caroline’s ballet lessons and performances. Charity watched her daughter light up under the other woman’s attention as she asked all the right questions. Being in opera she had worked with her fair share of ballet companies, Charity supposed. Even Helen who didn’t seem all that interested in dance, leaned forward, listening to every word that Ms. Lind said. Phin of course chimed in any time he had a funny story or quip that had the others in stitches. Charity herself was content to sit back and let the conversation flow around her. This felt nice, almost natural. It left a warm light in her chest about the possibilities for the future.

Midway through the second course the talk of ballet finally ran out and Phin ceased his chance. 

“Jenny, the concert last night was such a huge success. I couldn’t be happier.”

Ms. Lind smiled widely, blushing just the slightest bit. “I’m glad America had such a warm welcome for me.”

“Oh that was just New York. I think the entire country would love you, if they could see you.” He sat forward, that bright spark of excitement lighting his eyes. “I have a proposal for you that could do just that.”

Ms. Lind raised both of her eyebrows and sat down her forkful of salad and gave Phin her full attention. “And what, praytell, did you have in mind Mr. Barnum?”

“A national tour, sixty stops over four and half months, a full orchestra travelling with us, we’d hit every major town and city in the US. By the time we’re done anyone who is anyone will know your name and be talking about you. The world will be at your feet.”

Her eyes narrowed, thinking about what he had said. She ate the bite of food she had put down, chewing slowly, giving herself my time to think. “Your deal with me this time, twenty percent of the gate, it was generous, truly, but it only worked because it was New York City. There was very little chance that you in your own town would be left with empty seats. There’s already a thriving art scene here. From what I know of the rest of the country, that wouldn’t be as safe a bet. I believe that for such a long commitment with that many shows I would need my payment up front.”

A set of quick calculations were going on behind Phin’s eyes. “And what would you say is a fair sum?”

“Take ten percent of gate from this show and multiply that by the number of shows, and I think that will be sufficient.”

Charity tried to make her expression remain neutral. That would be a  _ very _ large sum of money. To transport them all around the country by train would be another large number, and boarding as well. And no doubt some of the theatres would make them buy seats in advance. The start up capital was going to be huge even without paying Ms. Lind. How many shows would they have to put on before Phin actually broke even, could they even break even?

“5 percent,” Phin returned.

“9.”

Phin sat forward, that sharp wit of his at the forefront. “6.5”

“8.5” Ms. Lind was almost glaring but there was just enough levity that kept it from being hostile.

“7.5.”

Ms. Lind smiled and offered her hand to Phin. “That sounds like a fair deal, Mr. Barnum. I’d be delighted to go on this tour of yours.”

Phin took her hand and shook it eagerly. “You and I are going to take the country by storm, just you wait and see. There won’t be an empty seat in any house. You’re the Swedish Nightingale, darling of Europe. They’ll come from all over in their finery to see you, I guarantee it.” 

“You flatter me Phineas.”

“Of course I do, you’re my newest star. Stars deserve flattery, don’t you think?”

Ms. Lind blushed a bit harder but said nothing further. They finished up the second course and the third brought talk of the Circus, Ms. Lind still hadn’t seen a show yet. The girls excitedly invited the woman to go and Phineas nodded along with them and Charity just laughed. She’d seen the show more times than she cared to count, what was one more time?

Dessert brought stories of Ms. Lind’s own travels. Charity sat forward, listening intently. It had been many, many years since she’d been to Europe. Her parents had taken her a few summers when she was little. Those trips had obviously stopped when she had married Phin. One day she wished to go back. Her French was no doubt terrible and rusty by now, but she would love the chance to try it out again. Maybe when the girls were older and Phin had settled a bit they could take their own trip as a family. She smiled thinking of it, still listening even as she thought of the shenanigans they would all get up to across the Atlantic.

When dinner was finally over she shooed the girls upstairs to get ready for bed. As they darted from the room and their light steps pounded up the stairs she turned to the other woman.

“Ms. Lind, would you like to join us for a nightcap to celebrate your upcoming tour?”

“Call me Jenny, please. And I would love to.”

“Jenny, well then you must call me Charity. Follow me into the parlour. Phin, could you go grab that nice bottle of sherry my parents gave us a few years back? A special liquor for a special occasion, yes?” Considering her parents had never given her any such drink, it would be very special indeed. But Phin would understand. He would make himself scarce for a long while and then show up with whatever bottle he thought would be special enough from the cellar. The actual trip down there was the work of a few minutes, but he would give them more than enough time. He had lived with Charity for years now. He knew how much time she would need.

She led Jenny into the parlour and settled herself in a favored chair. Jenny settled herself in a chair across from Charity and smiled at the other woman.

“You have a beautiful home and family,” Jenny said, sparing a glance for the room around them.

“Yes,” Charity said without hesitation, “and there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for my family.” She took a breath. There was no real way to ease into this conversation. That would have to be introduction enough. “And that being said, I’m not blind Ms. Lind. I saw how my husband was looking at you last night as you sang. I saw how you looked at him after you were done.”

Charity held up a hand to stop Jenny’s sputtered protests. 

“There’s no need to deny it. I’ve known my husband since we were ten years old. I know what he looks like when he’s in love with someone. And while I don’t know you even a fraction as well, your face doesn’t hide much. Even at dinner tonight you were looking at him as if he hung the stars. I’m sure you are eager to tour with him, to have him as your own for those many months.”

She met Jenny’s eyes. The look in them was part fear and part anger and more than a bit of indecision. “My husband has given me everything he promised and more. More than I ever wanted, really, all that I wanted was to be happy. I’ve been happy since the day he swept me out of my parents home, no matter our circumstances. But still, the praise he deserved for the future he’s ensured our daughters have is endless. And he’s asked for nothing other than support for his future endeavors and love. Those are things I’ve given him from the time I’ve met him. I’ve given him nothing new in years, granted what I do give him is a large gift and continuously renews, but nonetheless, that is nothing new. But I could give him this, give him  _ you _ , with just a word. And if you are truly as willing as I think you are, I intend to do so, but I have my terms for such an arrangement.”

Jenny sat in a stunned silence for a minute before speaking. “This is truly the last thing I expected sitting down in this parlor, Mrs. Barnum. Any other wife would have thrown me out the door already with a message that if I so much as touched her husband you would ruin me.”

“I never have much been like others.” She laughed. “I believe you have to be different to love Phineas.”

“I suppose you do.” Jenny let out a breath. “And if I was interested in this arrangement, what are your terms? Nothing in public, no disgraces, things of that sort?”

“I could truly give a damn about what others of my social station think, so long as everyone is happy.” She pushed herself up from the chair and walked over to the small bar at the side of the room, grabbing three port glasses before walking back over to her seat and setting them out neatly for when Phin decided to brave the room. “My terms are simple. My husband and I are a package deal, and yes, Ms. Lind, that does mean exactly what you think it means.”

She waited as Jenny connected the dots slowly in her head. She could see it the second the other woman fully grasped what she was saying. The surprise that flitted across her face was expected, the flash of consideration, however, wasn’t, but the expression that she settled on was one more of curiosity. As long as it wasn’t disgust or anger, Charity was fine with whatever words came out of the other woman’s mouth next.

“I didn’t think a woman of your breeding and social standing would have those tendencies.” The words were said carefully, not meant to offend, just as a question.

“Jenny, darling, I think you’ll find that there are women who feel as I do, with little preference betwen the masculine or fairer sex as recipients of their love, in all classes. But that is not the topic at hand. If you need time to think over the terms, take it. I understand that this is not the standard arrangement and it would carry risks beyond any regular affair.” She pushed herself up from her chair and walked slowly over to the chair only a few inches from Jenny and sat down, looking the woman in the eyes. “But understand that if you say no, my husband is loyal to me, and has been in circumstances more dire than turning down the advances of a beautiful woman he’s in love with. He may follow you around like a lost little dog. He may look at you as if you are the only one on this Earth. He may treat you as if you are the most precious thing. But when push comes to shove?” She leaned even farther forward, into the other woman’s personal space. “Without my permission, it will not go beyond that.”

“Does he know about this little bargain you're proposing?” Jenny didn’t finch, looking her dead in the eye the entire time.

“Oh, he does. I came to him with these terms last night after I noticed him in the wings staring at you much like he stares at me. I might have said nothing more to him than teasing him about how lovestruck he looked and a bit of a warning, but it turned out that the second the curtains opened, I found you just as fascinating. And when I told him of my proposed solution? Let us say that he didn’t mind.”

At that Jenny leaned back in her seat, looking thoughtful. “I need some time to think this all over. It’s not...something I’ve thought about before, but it isn’t- it’s not an outright no.”

Charity stood and returned to her original chair. “I understand. Take as long as you need.”

And then Phin stumbled in with a slightly dusty bottle of port and a smile. “Finally found it! You would think we would organize the drink cellar better.”

Charity held in a laugh. The cellar was impeccably organized, every bottle in neat rows classified by type of alcohol and then by year, but her husband did know how to sell a lie.

He poured them all a drink and held his glass up in toast. “To the tour, to our continued success.”

They both toasted with Phin, Jenny’s eyes darting from Charity to Phin and back again as she raised her glass and then put it to her lips. 

Not long after the drink was gone from all of their glasses, Jenny stood up and said her polite goodbyes, still looking thoughtful, eyes drifting to Charity as often to Phin. When they were alone again Phin looked over eagerly. 

“And?”

“She needs time to decide, but it wasn’t no.” Charity bit her lip for a second. “I think it might take the tour and being with you for another little while longer before she’d truly be pushed over the edge into a decision.”

Phin groaned. “God, the restraint.”

Charity laughed and went over to kiss him on the cheek. “I know, dear heart, but I think eventually your patience will be rewarded. I think she’ll say yes. And in the meantime.” She turned her hooded gaze on him and crooked her finger. “Perhaps you would like to join me in our bedroom?”

He followed without question with eager steps.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there, so this is when the fic starts to earn it's E for everyone rating, so if you aren't keen on hetero sex, after they enter the bedroom midchapter, you can skip the rest, you aren't missing much plot, trust me. For the rest of you, happy smut reading.

Jenny sighed, sinking onto the couch in her lavish rooms. Cininnati wasn’t New York, and most assuredly wasn’t any European city, it felt more like a fledgling city, still developing, still growing. It could turn into something amazing, or it could grow, reach its limits and dim. Now it held enough of the elite to make a concert worthwhile. Something about the air in the city, though, she didn’t think it would last. She looked out the huge windows at the bustle below and shook her head. Everything in America was so new, it hadn’t stood the test of time, but that just made it feel more alive.

The door to her rooms opened and Phineas came bustling in. She could always tell it was him, there was no one else in the world who moved like he did. She smiled and turned to him.

Perhaps it wasn’t the newness of the cities that made Jenny feel as if everything was more alive. Maybe it was the man in front of her with his loud voice and boisterous laugh and eyes that sparkled. She had left England, knowing that he was a man she was most assuredly interested in. After the show in New York it had been more than interest. And now, it was very, very close to love. She hadn’t felt love all that often in her life, just flashes here and there, possibilities that never played out, but this was different. If she let herself, she could fall so completely that if she wasn’t caught, she would be destroyed. And she was so close to doing so.

But then there were the words that haunted her in a genteel woman’s voice,  _ My husband and I are a package deal, and yes, Ms. Lind, that does mean exactly what you think it means.  _ She had left dinner without giving an answer. She had left New York entirely without giving an answer. And now here they were a month and a half into their four and a half month trip and she still didn’t have an answer to give. She had spent more than one sleepless night trying to decide one way or another and make herself commit to the decision, but come morning whatever she had decided would be discarded for another day of indecision.

Phineas hurried toward her, holding a copy of some paper, local or not she couldn’t see. “Good afternoon Jenny! I haven’t seen you all day, been keeping occupied?”

She smiled at him and met him in the sitting area. “Catching up on rest, one does need beauty sleep when they are on stage for much of their career.”

“You’re beautiful with or without sleep.”

A passing spike of heat lanced through her. She would lose more than a little sleep for this man if she could.

“But, that’s not why I’m here. I just got the New York Times with the review of your tour. I think you’ll want to see this.” He handed her the paper with an excited grin.

She took it from him and flipped it over, seeing James Bennett’s name and then her own. “Jenny Lind Tour a Smashing Success, well I suppose you’re right Mr. Barnum, I would indeed enjoy seeing this.” She stepped over to the couch and sank down, reading all of the words quickly, a smile blooming on her face at the effusive praise.

Phineas sank down on the couch, watching her with that grin still in place. Jenny looked at him out of the corner of her eye, her attention still mainly on the review. She swore if the man were only a few years younger he would be bouncing up and down in his seat, waiting. She finished reading and looked up at him, reciting her favorite lines for him, smile wide.

“It is as though we have learned for the first time what singing really is. Miss Lind deserves our nation's highest esteem and most lavish ovations.”

Phineas looked stunned all over again, sitting back on the couch, looking up at the ceiling for a second before shaking his head and looking back at Jenny again. “I mean…” he trailed off clearly not having the words.

But Jenny did. She felt like she was flying here in this room, with this man that had made it all possible. “The world at our feet.” Together they could conquer so much more than just the high society music scene in one country. She pushed herself off the couch and over to a bottle of champaign she had chilling for later after her next show. She popped the cork and laughed as the bubbles flowed out of the top. The bellhop must have shaken it more than once, but she didn’t care. She felt light, free, there were none of her old chains holding her down. She poured them both a glass of golden liquid and handed one off to Phineas.

“Well, Mr. Barnum,” she said, sinking down on the couch again, “this is to making dreams come true.”

“Thank you Jen,” Phineas said quietly, clinking his glass against hers.

She just looked at him for a long moment. She wanted to kiss him, wanted to kiss him so badly that she was sure he could read it on her face. But she didn’t surge forward as she wanted to. She knew the terms, she knew how she could have this man, it was so easy. She just. Had to say yes. Say yes to being with a woman who had kept Phineas’s head on his shoulders just enough to make him a success, the silent backer behind all his radical ideas, the one who had risked everything time and time again. A woman so clever, as clever as she herself was. If she said yes she would have the man with the head in the clouds and the woman with her feet on the ground. She would have more than she ever dreamed. If only she said yes.

Phineas cleared his throat, obviously sensing the tension. “It’s two hours to curtain.” Clearly trying to extricate himself from the situation.

Jenny sat back, letting some of the tension break. Every time things had become even the tiniest bit heated he had done something like this. Charity had been right. Her husband looked at her like she was the be all, end all, but that was all that he did. He was loyal. And God if that didn’t make her want him more.

“I know. I was planning on heading down soon.” She took a sip of her champaign and sighed. Good, but not top shelf, acceptable. 

“I can walk you down to your carriage when you’re ready.” He drank half his glass in one go, steadying himself.

Jenny closed her eyes and laid her head against the side of the couch, tears stinging, trying to get out, but she refused to let them. So close. Too close. She understood how Icarus felt. She couldn’t take this much longer. Her heart felt too bruised and battered. She was beating it against the rocks of possibility and her wings were about to collapse. If she decided that she couldn’t agree to this arrangement she would have to quit this tour, or at least send Phineas on his way. Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad without him.

But her heart hurt even more at that possibility. She couldn’t lose him, couldn’t lose this special man who made her feel so much. And yet it still came back to the choice. She lifted her head off the couch, opening her mouth to tell Phineas that she would gather her things and meet him in the hall in a few minutes, but what came out was completely different.

“If I agreed to your wife’s terms, would you kiss me?”

Phineas blinked, clearly stunned, but in a second he had straightened himself out enough to speak. “She would want to know that you agreed to the terms first, but yes.” There was a spark of excitement at that yes, and she could see just how much he wanted her too.

“Do you think your wife and I, would we truly get along?” She had liked Charity at the party after her first performance, had liked her even more at the dinner that had started all of this. But before that talk in the parlor all she had thought was that they could be friends. She had never thought of another woman in a romantic sense, but…

Phineas laughed at that quietly. “I think if you two got together my life would be turned so far upside down it might just be right side up again. Charity has always had this spark of fun and you, Miss Lind have a hint of mischief. Put that together and it’s a bit like a match meeting a gas lamp, a bit of an explosion, but it lights up a room.”

“Has anyone told you that you’re a bit of a poet, Phineas.”

He snorted. “Well, mostly they just say I have a way of twisting words, but I suppose that’s close enough to poetry.”

“If you had been born as a rich man, they would be the same thing, so yes.” She fell silent for a long moment. There was more she had to say, but the words were hard to find. “I’m scared that if I say yes and we come together for the rest of the tour, by the end I won’t ever want to let you go. I’m scared that if it doesn’t work out between Charity and I, I could lose this. Phineas...I’m happier than I’ve ever been. I don’t think I can lose that.”

Phinease set his glass aside and leaned forward enough to put a hand on Jenny’s knee. She felt the warmth of it even through her many layers. It relaxed her just enough to wait for whatever he was about to say, good or bad.

“Everything I am now? It’s because of Charity. If you love me, you’ll love her. I was terrified when I first opened the circus. I thought I had just ruined my family more effectively than ever before, but that risk brought us all here. There’s no reward without risk. But I think this is a safe bet. Every time I get a letter from the girls you ask about them. Every time I talk of Charity you listen intently. I think you’re more invested in all of this than you know. It’s just one more step. Charity is already half in love with you. She’s told me she’s kept track of your tour reviews this entire time. She’s thrilled that you’re doing so well. All of my girls can’t wait to see you again. You’re already loved. Why not return that love?”

“I’ve never been with a woman before. I don’t even know anyone who has. Or at least no one has told me. What if- what if-”

“You can ask yourself what if until the end of the world. It won’t change anything. Only doing something will. If there’s anything life has taught me, it’s that. I love you Jenny. And whatever you decide, I’ll do what’s needed to see that you’re happy.”

The tears that she had been holding back a second ago broke over her eyelids and flowed down her cheeks freely. She couldn’t help herself.  _ I love you Jenny. _ He had said that he loved her. There was no other answer that she could give now. She was in far too deep, he was right.

She surged forward and wrapped her arms around his neck and tucked her face in his neck, still crying. “I’ll say yes. I’ll send her a telegram. I’ll wait until the end of the tour if she wants, but please, please don’t leave me Phineas.”

His arms wrapped around her, hugging her to him hard. “I won’t, angel, I won’t.”

She cried for a few minutes more before pulling back, leaving a kiss on his cheek. Jenny cleared her throat and sat back completely. “Meet me in the hall in ten minutes?” She gestured at her face. “I have to fix this before going out but then I’ll be ready to go.”

“Nothing to fix, but I’ll be waiting.” He stood and dropped a kiss on her head and walked from the room. 

She looked after him for a minute and sighed. She felt more at peace than she had for the entire tour. She had said yes. She blinked, thinking hard about it for a few seconds. She had said yes and she didn’t feel any regrets. In fact, she smiled wide as she pushed herself up and walked to the vanity to assess the damage, she was actually looking forward to the future.

\--

She had sent off a telegram the next morning in the bustle to get them to the train to Louisville. There were perhaps better times to run such an errand, but she wasn’t about to put it off any longer. She wanted to kiss Phineas sooner rather than later. She was sure that Charity had a copy of their itinerary and would send the reply to their next stop. If she was anything like Jenny herself she had been waiting for this message to come since they had set off. She wouldn’t waste time sending a reply. She hoped. Because if she had to wait another week for a letter to find them, she was sure she would combust.

She finally made her way onto the train with a few minutes to spare, though honestly, would they have left without her, she was the star after all. She heard the whistle and then the lurch as the train slowly started to move forward. She sighed and laid her head back. The journey wasn’t a long one. They would be in Louisville in time for dinner. Still, she was far too antsy.

It was a bit before Phineas finally slid the door open to her compartment. He smiled at her softly and sat down next to her as he had for all of their journeys. “Sorry about that.” He threw an arm around her shoulders and drew her head down onto his shoulder. “I had to make sure that nothing was left in the rush. We’ve only done almost twenty of these shows. You would think they would know how to pack up and move after all of this, but no, of course not.” He laughed and shook his head.

“They will figure it out, just in time for the tour to end.”

His laugh rumbled under her ear. “I believe you’re right about that Miss Lind.”

She settled in and breathed deeply, smelling smoke from the train and cologne and soap. He smelled so nice. She felt herself drifting off as they exited the city and made their way into the countryside. She felt so safe here in his arms it was no wonder that the next time she woke they were slowing down again and they were surrounded by buildings once more.

“Morning, angel. We should be there in a few minutes.” He smiled down at her.

“Have you just sat there this entire time letting me sleep on you?” She sat up and stretched.

“I dozed off for a bit, but watching you sleep was entertainment enough for the rest of the ride.”

Jenny shook her head. “Mr. Barnum, I believe you’re a hopeless romantic.”

He chuckled. “I believe you’re right Miss Lind, just ask Charity, she’ll tell you the same.”

The train chugged to a stop and Phineas was off again, making sure everything was unloaded as planned. They’d be here for another four nights, three shows in total before they set off again for Nashville. The longer stints in larger cities were definitely easier than having to sleep on the train after a one night only performance. She definitely wasn’t complaining to get off the train and into a carriage that carried her to their hotel.

She had one of the many staff that travelled with them check her in and he returned with a key and what looked to be a telegram in his hands. Her heart sped up. It couldn’t be. She had only sent it that morning. She had been expecting the earliest reply to come in the morning. But she took the scrap of paper and went up to her room to open it. She didn’t trust herself to open it right there in the lobby. If it had anything other than the telegram from Charity in it, she didn’t know what she would do.

She sat down on the first plush surface and tore open the seal and looked inside. The message she had sent Charity had been short, just two words and her name, “Terms accepted, Jenny.” Charity’s reply wasn’t much longer. “Permission granted,” and then a date and time, the day after they were supposed to return from tour and the words “for dinner” under the date and time. Her heart sped up. That would be the first dinner as whatever it was they all were now officially. What would it be like? She found herself longing to find out, but it was still three months in the future.

Her things arrived not long afterwards and she set to unpacking what she would need for the next three days, waiting for Phineas to appear as he so often did to take her out to dinner. The nights they arrived in town, so long as it wasn’t a one off show, he had saved those days for her instead of meeting with the local rich and powerful at some party or other. Oh, she attended those parties as well, she was the star of the tour after all, but in those instances she rarely saw Phineas. The private dinners were much more of a treat.

The door practically burst open and Phineas charged in half an hour later, a piece of paper clasp in his hand. Jenny stood up from the chair that she had sat in after unpacking, waiting for him to say something.

“You got a telegram from Charity as well, yes?” He asked.

She nodded and gestured at the coffee table where it was sitting. “And an invitation to dinner after we get back from tour.”

“Oh thank the lord above.” And then he was kissing her and it was everything, _ everything _ she had ever dreamed of.

She kissed him back with all the pent up fervor of the past months. He moaned against her and then his tongue was seeking entrance into her mouth. She obliged and parted her lips and a second later he was exploring every part of her, tongue far too clever for the stability of her knees. She collapsed against him, wrapping her arms around his neck and holding herself up through sheer force of will. She didn’t want this kiss to end for any other reason than the fact that if they didn’t part they would suffocate. Phineas’s arms circled her waist and suddenly they were spinning around, still joined at the lips and Jenny had to pull back and laugh breathlessly as they spun and spun until Phineas finally set her down again, having spun them right into the bedroom.

She glanced at the bed, then back at Phineas and she cocked an eyebrow. “Mr. Barnum, one usually buys dinner for a woman first before bringing them into the bedroom.”

His eyes darkened as he looked at her and the neatly made bed. “Do you want dinner, Miss Lind?”

She thought about it for all of a second before she was kissing the man again. Her fingers found the buttons of his waistcoat and slowly popped them open one by one. His hands stayed at her waist, not venturing up to the clasps of her dress just yet. His waistcoat parted a few buttons later and then she reached for his tie, her excitement climbing and climbing. Already she was throbbing, her wetness pooling between her legs. She needed him, had needed him ever since the day in Queen Victoria’s court, though she hadn’t quite put her finger on the need then. And she was about to have him. Lord above, she was going to have to write Charity a letter in the morning thanking her for this gift. A thought dashed through her mind of all three of them in bed together and she gasped into the kiss. Oh.  _ Oh _ . That was perhaps a little too heady.

Phineas pulled back, breathing hard. “Are you sure tonight is the night?”

“Phineas, if you don’t get this dress off of me, I will not be held responsible for my actions. I have waited long enough for this. You’ve already bought me more than enough dinners.” She grabbed his hands and pulled them back to the clasps of her dress and left them there.

He wasted no time working them open. Her dress was over her head and on the floor in another moment, leaving her in her corset, petticoats, and chemise. He turned her around and pulled at the laces of her corset with practiced ease. Considering that it had only been a few years since the start of the circus, he had probably laced Charity’s corset every day for years. She relaxed back into his confident touches. His hand freed her from her petticoats and corset and she sighed in relief, finally breathing in a full breath, though it still didn’t feel like enough as his hands came to rest on her hips again. She could truly feel the warmth of him now.

“Does this count as being out of your dress,” he said, bending down to whisper in her ear.

She shivered and leaned back into him. “You are most of the way there, yes. But now I think I have some work to do myself.” She turned in his grip and grabbed his skewed tie, finally unknotting it and throwing it to the side. Her fingers shook just a little now as she parted the white button up he was wearing. The bare skin revealed button by button sent shocks of electricity throughout her body. She pushed the shirt off of his shoulders and left him standing in just his trousers.

“Dear lord, Phineas,” she breathed, running her hands over a muscled chest and defined arms. She never would have guessed the coats and shirts were hiding all of this beneath.

His breathing stuttered as her hands coasted over him, but he still managed to choke out a smart comment. “Like something you see?” He cocked an eyebrow.

Oh, she knew exactly how to shut him up. She grabbed at her chemise and pulled it up over her head, only leaving her in her drawers. Phineas’s eyes went right to her chest and didn’t seem to be moving anytime soon. She laughed and stepped forward once again, slipping her fingers into his waistband.

“I could ask you the same, darling.”

He just nodded, still staring. “Angel.”

“Mmm, I think not, not with what we’re about to do.” She smirked up at him and found the buttons of his pants, making quick work of them, sending the trousers to the floor, and then he was gloriously naked. Oh my, oh my, she could definitely work with that. She reached out and lightly caressed Phineas’s cock and watched as it visibly responded to her touch.

“Bed,” Phineas breathed out. “Please.” He kicked the trousers from around his feet and pulled off his shoes and socks.

Jenny obliged, shucking her drawers and climbing on the bed, sighing at the feeling of the silk bedspread on her heated skin. She felt so ready, so hot, so needy. She didn’t want to wait, and Phineas seemed inclined to agree. In a second he was hovering over her, kissing her again for a long minute before kissing down her neck. The little nips of his teeth interspersed with the kisses had her squirming below him. He never bit hard enough to leave a lasting mark, clever man, but it was still more than enough to drive her wild.

“Phineas, please,” she panted out, but he wasn’t done teasing.

He kissed further down until he caught a nipple in his warm mouth and sucked. Her hands found his head and pulled on his hair. God, she was on fire. It was everything she wanted and more, if only he would get onto the business of fucking her, everything would be perfect. She wanted to come around his hard cock thrusting inside her. She moaned just at the thought.

He switched to the other nipple for a minute before kissing further down her body, pressing kisses across her stomach and hips until he was face to face with her core, looking up at her with awed eyes.

“All this for me?”

“Yes,” she panted out. She wanted to snap out a comment about how there was certainly no one else in the room, but she didn’t quite have the brain power to do so.

He parted her lips and took one long slow lick and Jenny had to pull her hand to her mouth to muffle her scream. God, no other lover had done this for her, no other had  _ wanted _ to do it, but here was Phineas forging ever forward with a smile and enthusiasm.

He licked at her, long, slow strokes building her up and up and up, but never to where she wanted to be. She moved against his mouth, begging him without words that she needed more, but more was slow in coming. He continued at his lazy pace until she was sure she was going to lose her mind from being on the edge and then he thrusted two fingers inside of her and she was glad that her hand was still over her mouth because she was sure someone would have reported the noise to the front desk. He thrust hard and fast, curling his fingers just so, hitting a spot inside her that had her melting back into the bed. Her orgasm was coming for her, fast and hard and when Phineas took her clit into his mouth and sucked, she arched up off the bed and screamed for him.

“Phineas!” And she was thrown into pulsating pleasure so strong she lost herself in it. 

By the time she managed to regain control of her faculties Phineas was curled into her side, stroking sweaty hair from her face.

“Where in the world did you learn how to do  _ that _ ?” she asked, tucking herself against him more firmly.

“Charity is very vocal about what she wants in bed.” There was just a hint of a growl in his voice that had Jenny shivering.

“Well, she’s most assuredly got the right idea.” An aftershock shivered through her.

“She usually does.” He laughed and kissed the top of her head, now nestled on his shoulder as their bodies cooled down.

Jenny wanted to do something, return the favor, anything, but she needed a few minutes more before she was going to be fit to do anything at all. So she just laid against his side and listened to him breathing, feeling content, as if there was nothing else she truly needed from the world than this moment. But she did want more. She wanted him more than this once. She wanted to go to that dinner with Charity and whatever else she could get from the two of them. Maybe a lifetime’s worth of things.

Her hand finally made its way down Phineas’s body, tracing the lines of his chest and hips with light fingertips. She felt him tense more and more as her hand drifted lower until she took him into her hand and stroked. He groaned, gripping her against him tightly. 

“I can’t take much of that, angel. You’ve already got me on edge.”

“Then fuck me, Phineas. I am more than ready for you.”

He didn’t need to be told twice. He rolled her onto her back and was over her in a second. She spread her legs for him and he settled in between them with ease. He pulled her into a kiss just as the head of his cock pressed against her entrance and he slipped in slowly. She gasped and arched up into him. It had been more than a while since her last lover. She hadn’t wanted to repeat her mother’s mistakes, but for this man, she wouldn’t give a damn. She wanted him and Charity and no one else. The rest of the world could be damned.

He stopped when he was fully sheathed inside her for a long enough moment that she whimpered. He needed to move. She needed him to move. She prayed to anyone who would listen that he would move. And in an instant he drew out and thrust back in, hard enough that she lost her breath. She wrapped her arms around him, nails digging into his back, but she couldn’t control herself. She felt too much. She felt too little. She just  _ felt _ .

“God almighty,” Phineas ground out between clenched teeth. “You feel too good.” His fingers found her clit again and Jenny cried out, loud and long. Her hands were otherwise occupied now, there was nothing muffling her and that seemed to spur Phineas along even more.

“When I saw you walk into the court I couldn’t take my eyes off you. You in that white dress, gliding across the floor. I knew I wanted you then, how could I not.” Phineas was talking in two or three word bursts between thrusts and Jenny could hardly keep track of the words, but still her whole attention was on him. “I’m so glad you said yes. It was tearing me apart to restrain myself these last few weeks. God, Jenny, I love you so much already I can’t fathom how I could love you more, but I know I will.”

She was almost at another climax again between his thrusts, his fingers, and his words. The thought of him spilling inside her just as she herself came was almost enough to push her over the edge. She wondered if he was just as close as she was, and she hoped he was.

“Come with me?” He asked, and there was no way she could do anything else.

Jenny tipped over the edge as Phineas’s thrusts stuttered and he grunted. She felt warmth paint her insides and she shivered, coming just that bit longer before practically collapsing back into the bed. Phineas actually did collapse for a few minutes, right on top of her. He was heavy and she couldn’t breathe all that well, but she didn’t care. She squeezed him tightly to her and closed her eyes, a languid feeling coating all her muscles and making her sleepy.

When Phineas finally rolled off of her an indistinguishable amount of time later and pulled the covers out from under her and then over her still form. He got back into bed and slipped behind her, pulling her against him and she sighed, content. He kissed her right under her ear and sighed.

“I want you to be family. I want you there as the girls grow up. I want you there for the highs and lows. I want you there for everything. Please, please, will you?”

She nodded with what boneless energy she had left. That was everything she wanted, family. And the man she was most assuredly in love with was offering it to her. It didn’t matter in that moment that there was still half of the arrangement up in the air, all that mattered was the moment and the promise of tomorrow.

Phineas relaxed against her, practically melting to her. “Good. Very good. I love you, Jenny.”

“I love you too, darling,” she whispered, half asleep.

She felt him smile as he kissed her once more, and then she was asleep, dreaming of a future that she could finally touch.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Am I a slut for epistolary writing, yes. Did I use that to my advantage here, also yes. No one can tell me that Jenny Lind can't write a mind blowing letter esp when it's to flirt with a lady.

Jenny walked out on stage for the final time, veins thrumming. In the morning they would be back in New York. Another few hours and she would be at the Barnum’s for dinner, for the real start of everything between them. She could barely contain herself as she stopped at center stage and waited for Phineas to slip out in front of the curtains to introduce her. There were sometimes when she performed at especially important events or in front of very responsive audiences that she felt as if she was floating above the stage, buoyed by the joy of creating art and being recognized for it. But the feelings she had now were twice as heady.

The curtains started to part and she glanced over to see Phineas take his customary position, waiting in the wings, watching her whole performance though he had seen it dozens of times now. She smiled at him brilliantly before facing the audience again and launching into her first song, voice soaring to the rafters, boosted by her own lightness of spirit. She had had good concerts before, but this, this was going to be one for the ages.

She worked her way through the set, not feeling the usual fatigue of singing her heart out. If anything as she approached her final song, the energy flowing through her increased. Her final song had always been a favorite of hers, half longing, half triumph, it was how she felt how love would always feel. And now she knew it was. The desire to get back to New York and see Charity, see the girls, was so strong that she would gladly give up the stage if that’s what it took. She knew that it wouldn’t be like that, not with them, but still.

The music faded on her second to last song and she looked over at Phineas. There was the shuffling of papers below as the orchestra switched over their sheet music. The audience rustled and shifted waiting for the next song. She felt the heat of the spotlight on her face, but she only had eyes for the man in the wings. Then the music started, wistful keys of piano echoing from the pit and she turned to face the audience one last time.

_ “I’m trying to hold my breath, _

_ Let it stay this way, can’t let this moment end,” _

Her mind wandered to the letters she had been exchanging with Charity since the telegram, of the warmth they brought her, and the hope that lifted this song higher than it ever had before.

“Dear Charity,

Thank you. Thank you for letting me have him. Thank you for including me in your marriage. Thank you for letting me love him, but most importantly thank you for letting him love me. In my life true, passionate love like his has been too rare. I already feel complete, knowing that he is here now, beside me in all ways, but I admit I am more than a little curious about how things will turn out between us. Phineas assures me that if I love him I will love you because all that he is, is because of you. He is quite the romantic, isn’t he? But I hope he’s right. I want family perhaps more than should be admitted in a first letter like this, but I hope that honesty from the start will only endear me to you. I look forward to your dinner, though since there are so many months between now and then, perhaps you would consider writing? I was more than impressed with the speed you replied to my telegram, I would enjoy seeing if you can perhaps pull that same feat again.

Jenny”

_ “You set off a dream in me, _

_ Getting louder now, can you hear it echoing?” _

“Dearest Jenny,

You would be surprised how fast a boy can move to a telegram office when motivated by two dollars and a slice of chocolate cake on his return with the receipt. Letters are a bit harder to pull off the same miracles, they don’t respond to chocolate, which is a pity. However, since Phin left a detailed itinerary and asking for rush delivery, I believe this should find you in Nashville, at least before you leave. If not there are instructions to send this on after you until you get it. A kind word and a pretty smile have gotten more for me than that in the past. I can only imagine what chaos we could cause Phin if we both wanted something badly enough. He really isn’t capable of denying anyone he loves what they want.

“I’m glad to hear you are happy. That is all that I want out of this arrangement, for all of us to find what we want and need from life in each other. Thank you for taking care of him while traveling. I know without someone there to draw his attention he would likely work himself into a stupor, but he will always take breaks to see people he loves. He’s written more than once to say that you are the saving grace of the trip, even before a few days ago. Though his letters from before then were lamenting just how difficult it was not to kiss you whenever you did something adorable. I believe that problem of his is now fixed, he should be living like a true king now, not that he has thought of himself as anything else.

“I admit I am looking forward to our dinner as well. From our dinner before you left on tour I think that we would be as good a match as Phin thinks we would be. He’s always been a good judge of character, even if he takes risks with people he shouldn’t. If you want family with us, we have more than enough love to go around. You just have to get through the rest of your tour to be able to reap what you’ve sewn.

Charity”

_ “Take my hand, will you share this with me? _

_ Because darling without you... _

_ All the shine of a thousand spotlights,  _

_ All the stars we steal from the night sky will never be enough,” _

“Darling Charity,

I am well enough motivated by chocolate cake that I replied to your letter as quickly as possible. Writing on a train is not the neatest of endeavors, especially with a fountain pen. Excuse the spots of ink, there aren’t any on this paper now, but I’m sure there will be with just how much the car is jostling. The letter did find us in Nashville, if just barely. I was already in my carriage about to head for the train station when a bellhop came running out to give it to me. I appreciated it enough to tip him another 2 dollars. I think various errand boys will make a small fortune from us and our letters by the end of this, but I have no regrets.

“As far as using our pretty smiles to cause chaos for Phineas, did you have anything particular in mind? On reading that line a great deal of things occurred to me, but I think the thing most worthy of our joint effort would perhaps be a trip with all of us and the girls somewhere where Phineas wouldn’t be so tempted to go off and start some other insane yet somehow feasible business venture, perhaps after we’ve all gotten to know each other a bit better. What do you think? You’re right about him only being just a bit away from working himself into a stupor, so it sounds like a needed rest for all of us, but I don’t want to presume too much. I am the new one to this relationship. But the image of us all in a lovely ski chalet with hot chocolate won’t leave my mind. Perhaps it is the shape of the fully grown seed, ready to harvest? I’m not sure, but I wouldn’t mind it if it was.

Jenny”

_ “Towers of gold are still too little, _

_ These hands could hold the world, but it’ll never be enough, _

_ Never be enough _

_ For me” _

“Dearest one,

“I’m sorry about the delay between this letter and the last. By the time your letter arrived I’d missed the window to get something to you in New Orleans and I didn’t trust the narrow margins in Memphis to make sure it got to you. I didn’t want to cut it as close as Nashville, so St. Louis seemed the safest bet. I know you’ll start working your way back towards New York after this week so I hope that our letters will find each other that much faster, perhaps without that small fortune to errand boys you mentioned, though if it comes to that, I would have no regrets either. I have never needed this money to be happy, spending it in order to write you is the easiest choice in the world. I can live without some fancy bauble, but I long for the excitement of seeing your writing on an envelope. It’s worth more to me than gold.

“A ski chalet sounds wonderful. The girls have never been. I’m sure they would love to learn. I’m sure Phin would be right behind them, daredevil that he is. I, on the other hand, have had my fill of skiing as a girl. I was  _ terrible _ at it. Hot chocolate and a book by a fire are more my speed. Maybe you would like to join me? Cuddling in front of a fire is a favorite activity of mine. Or are you some sort of ski bunny? You are Swedish, you have a better likelihood of it, or did growing up in the cold turn you off of it forever? I find myself wanting to know as much about you as possible. From the way you talk about longing for love, I know there are things that you might not want to talk about from your past, but I want to hear everything you want to tell me. There is never any pressure on you if you don’t want to, but you, Ms. Lind, are fascinating to me in a way I haven’t experienced in my adult life. These weeks with your letters have flown by, but it’s still far too long before we see each other in person. Even such a little detail as your favorite color would soothe the ache of time between us.

And Jenny, dearest, I’ve added chocolate cake to the dinner menu on your return. The girls will be more than thrilled at their favorite dessert, which is always a joy to see them and their happiness, but I must admit I’m more looking forward to you enjoying the cake.

Charity”

_ “Never, never, _

_ Never, never _

_ Never, for me, for me,” _

“Darling,

No need to apologize. This isn’t some whizzing future where letters are delivered instantly. There are logistics that you have to consider, I understand completely. I long for your letters, but I would much rather you not worry yourself over them so fully. We are inching ever nearer to being able to speak face to face. I’ve saved every letter from you, including the telegram, but nothing will compare to seeing you in person. I’m already counting the days, though the number is still far too large for comfort. It’s unfortunate there isn’t some being I could pay to speed time forward, though I think it would take more than 2 dollars, it would be well worth it.

“Growing up in Sweden, I did learn to ski, and I am decent at it, but it isn’t my preferred sport. I don’t mind the cold, but nor do I feel the compulsion some do to be out in the winter weather every minute they can get. I would love to teach the girls the basics and see Phineas spectacularly fall face first in the snow because he was too eager, but I think I would more like to spend most of my day curled by the fire with you. Quiet moments in the life of an opera singer are few and far between and are made to be savored. If there was cuddling involved in such quiet moments, I would enjoy that immensely.

“If you want to know more about me, just ask questions, darling. I may not answer, but for you the likelihood of an answer is higher than others. I’ll tell you my favorite story from skiing as a child. I was waiting at the top of the hill, resting from the climb up, just standing in my skis. There weren’t many others up there, I believe it was near the end of the season, most people had already had their fun with skiing and were more looking forward to spring. Since it was so quiet an arctic hare darted out of some bushes and dashed across the open space right towards me. He used my legs and skis as shelter for a long moment before he darted off again to look for food or his family, who knows. I had just been reading a book of fairy tales that week and it felt like a scene pulled directly from one of the stories. I admit for an embarrassingly long time I thought I was some sort of forest spirit and I told just about anyone who would listen about my encounter. Though believing in magic now, isn’t quite so hard with all that has happened in these last few months.

“I’m glad to know that chocolate cake will both be on the menu and will thrill the girls as well. They already have good taste it seems. Unsurprising given who their mother is. As far as my favorite color, it’s the color of the dress I plan to wear to our next dinner. I find it looks more than satisfactory on me, I do so hope you’ll agree.

Jenny”

_ “Never enough, _

_ Never enough, _

_ For me, for me, for me,” _

“Dearest one,

I’m counting the days as well. If we could pool our resources to find that being to speed time forward I would give most everything I had. However, we are on the true downhill now. Thirty days, less than by the time you get this. A letter or two more. We can make it even without the intervention of an all powerful being. At least I hope we can. I am burning with need to see you, but I don’t believe that will lead to me being lit on fire. For now, anyway. If you don’t arrive on time to dinner, that might be another story.

Is it bad that I would love to hire a photographer just to capture the moment when Phin falls after listening to your teachings for far too short a time? I can imagine the girls delighted faces and your wholly amused expression captured forever and it makes me long to have the real moment documented forever. It might even be worth venturing out in the cold to see it first hand, though you'll have to be more than patient with me reteaching me the basics. I'm afraid I've deleted all of that information from my mind since I had little use for it. If you want to know a reasonable price for turnips in spring, I have that information since it was a vegetable I could get the girls to eat when they were younger, but skiing...not as much. 

Your story about the hare reminded me of a similar story I have myself. I wonder if we would have been friends as children. Imagining you as an adorable little redhead with just the lightest smattering of freckles makes my heart melt completely. But instead of on a cold mountain most of my play was on the beach near my parent's home, when I could get away at least. My father was a rather strict and unforgiving man who believed children nothing more than tiny adults. On that beach though when I was younger sea turtles used to nest. It's been some years since I've seen them nest there, but to be honest I haven't much had the time to look. I hope they still do. Growing up in the time we are and watching the wilds retreat further and further away brings a sort of melancholy over me. Because I sat on that beach one afternoon and suddenly there was one baby turtle heading for the sea, and then another and then dozens around me. One of them ended up getting stuck in my dress and with the most careful hands I had at that age I scooped him up and brought him the few remaining feet down to the water. I felt like some sort of generous mermaid. I want the girls to have similar experiences, but as the city encroaches I do wonder.

Magic is never far away when I get a letter from you. Especially when you mention such teasing tidbits as a dress in your favorite color. My imagination has been going wild. You looked stunning in emerald. And in my mind's eye you would look ravishing in just about any other color, white makes your hair and eyes stand out, pink would make your blushes all the prettier, and blue, I think I'd like to see you in blue most of all, deep jewel tone blue, white skin, red hair, and bottomless blue eyes...well I suppose I should stop myself there before things get perhaps too indecent for a letter. It's already far too hot in here anyway. July in New York has always been oppressively hot, I do not need to help it by letting my mind wander too far. Whatever dress you do wear, perhaps, if you were amenable …Ms. Lind, would you do me the honor of staying the night? There is absolutely no pressure. I know we've only met twice in person and most of our contact has been in these letters, but I find myself longing to be as close to you as you'll allow.

Charity"

As the chorus came again Jenny found herself looking at Phineas. He had that beautiful loving look in his eyes that he had had at every performance on the tour. Jenny felt her heart beat out of her chest. For Charity and Phineas she felt as if this last performance of this last song was more than it had ever been. When she left this stage for the night everything that she was would be left here. She would walk into Phineas's arms in their hotel room bare of all ego, ready to be loved as who she truly was. When she finally, finally arrived at dinner she would greet the woman she had fallen in love with through written words alone and she would be ready, ready for everything that was to come.

_ "All the shine of a thousand spotlights, _

_ All the stars we steal from the night sky will never be enough, _

_ Never be enough." _

"My Longed for Darling,

Two weeks now. It's within reach, so close as to almost touch it but I cannot stretch my arm quite far enough. Believe me when I say that I would not dream of being late to dinner. If anything I will be there early in my overeagerness to see you. No need to set yourself aflame, though if you perhaps blushed on seeing me in that dress you spent so much of your last letter trying to imagine, I wouldn’t be opposed. I imagine you would be so very pretty, cheeks rosy and just a hint of a carnal edge to your gaze, that would be enough burning for the night, I think.

If you hire a photographer to capture that image, I want a copy for myself. I could not stop smiling thinking about it. It truly would be a wonderful moment to have forever. As for patience in teaching you, there would be no problem there. Seeing you all bundled in winter gear would be more than enough to set my spirits soaring to a place where impatience could never touch them. That, and perhaps a few extra touches and caresses here and there, to adjust your form of course, and then a few kisses for good luck. It would only be customary. No matter what, I’m sure it will come back to you quickly. For a woman bright enough to still remember the price of turnips when she no longer needs to, I think you will be more than fine. And if you were to perhaps land in a snowdrift on accident? That would be another picture I would keep close to my heart, though unlike Phineas I would do you the favor of keeping it private. Any picture of Phineas falling over is going on the mantle in a prominent place.

Thinking of all the things that have changed since we were young is practically dizzying. I’ve noticed the same things as you, nature and animals retreating farther and farther away. I wonder at what point it will stop. Since traveling around the United States I’ve heard of the principle of manifest destiny spoken with such reverence, but how much land do you truly need? This country is already far larger than anything in Europe and no one is suffering any more than the people of this country are. But that magic from when we were children is still there, though perhaps it would require a few trips from home to show the girls now. I have every faith that you will find something and make it work. As much as you love them, and as much as you love Phineas, their childhoods have been filled with more magic than either of our childhoods, and isn’t that the true goal of a mother, to give her children a better life than she herself had? At least it should be. My mother and your father would have gotten along well. She never did let me forget what I was, a bastard who brought her low. It is safe to say that I did not regret her passing, family or no. The only family I need now is you, Phineas, and the girls. My life is better for you all.

And Charity, your theories about the dress? One of them is right. I’ll leave you to think about that until our dinner date. Try not to overheat in the August humidity, darling.

Jenny”

_ “Towers of gold are still too little, _

_ These hands could hold the world, but it’ll never be enough _

_ Never be enough _

_ For me,” _

And the last letter she had gotten, just this morning at their hotel. The final letter they would exchange. Her heart fluttered in her chest and she dived into the rest of the song, loving the words, loving the sentiment, but needing this all to be over so she could be where she wanted, if not at the Barnum’s house, then at least in Phineas’s arms.

“Wonderful, Terrible, Dearest One,

Tomorrow you’ll be back in New York. I know it’s still another day after that before our dinner, but for the first time in four and half months we’ll be in the same city. That matters, even if I want to be at the station to greet you properly. I’m afraid if I did that I would tackle you to the cobblestones, and as much as I don’t care what people think of me, having my actions end us up on the front page of the Times is not a goal in my life. So I will wait for you here, where if I can’t control myself no one is at the ready with a camera and the only people I have to answer questions to are the girls. And they already know an age appropriate amount of what is going on between us and Phin. So the most I think that would get would be the same response that they give Phin and I when we kiss in front of them, mainly being giggling while saying “ew, gross.” Already I’m looking forward to the warm feelings that scene will give me. 

Now, speaking to why you are wonderful and terrible at once. Don’t think that that dress comment cooled me down at all, you scoundrel. I had half a mind to track you down in the middle of America and have my way with you just to calm myself down. If instant travel was a reality, I would have done it with no hesitation. I’m fanning myself currently just thinking about the fact that you mentioned the dress and carnality in the same letter. I’m most assured that whatever you are going to wear is going to kill me, perhaps kill Phin if he hasn’t seen the dress yet. If you could refrain from killing both of us, I’m sure we would be pleased. Though to have to suffer through dinner if we live will be a struggle. But sending the girls to bed without dinner because I cannot control myself is more than I can justify. Perhaps it will make the unwrapping that much sweeter later. To return the favor to you, Ms. Lind, think of this, under my dress for dinner? The dress I’m wearing doesn’t require a corset, and I won’t be wearing anything but petticoats under it. Think about that in the 2 days we have between now and dinner. I hope you melt just as much as I have been in this August heat.

And if I don’t stop with thoughts like that I will ride up to Poughkeepsie on the late train. So I’ll finish this letter by telling you this. I am so glad you have come into our lives. I’m beyond grateful that we are almost to the finish line of your absence from our presence. But most of all, I am so deeply thankful that you want to be part of our family as a whole. I’m sure there would be those out there that would have taken me up on the offer for myself and Phin, but would have only accepted the girls as a means to an end. I thank anyone who will listen to my prayers that we found you. I love you, Jenny Lind. Please hurry home to your family.

Charity”

_ “Never enough!” _

She took a deep breath, turned to smile at Phineas for the last time before finishing the song.  _ “For me.” _

She held out her hand for Phineas immediately. She didn’t want to even take one bow without him. He swept out onto the stage to the thunderous applause the end of her show garnered. In a second he had swept her up in his arms and swung her around, the largest smile she had seen him wear yet on his face. She laughed as she spun around, feeling free, high on adrenaline and love. He set her down finally and turned them to the audience and bowed.

On standing he shouted to the audience “The magnificent Jenny Lind. I am forever in her debt for making this tour a success. These four and half months have been a joy to travel around with her. She’s now a dear, dear friend. I know that we will be hearing more from this lovely lady in the future. Next time you see her headlining, buy your tickets as soon as possible. She’ll sell out the theatre even faster in the future!”

They bowed again and then Phineas was pulling her off stage. He bent down at the last second to pick up a rose that someone had thrown. He grinned and handed it to her.

“A lovely flower for a lovely lady.”

She snorted and accepted the gift. “Why thank you, Mr. Barnum. It’s nice to know that after such a successful tour you can afford the little luxuries.”

He laughed loudly. “Touche, Ms. Lind. I would plaster your room in flowers, but I think there are better gifts in this world that I could give you. Something more lasting, for one.”

They stepped into her dressing room and shut the door behind them. She leaned up and kissed him, sighing at being able to finally touch him, to kiss him. A show wasn’t so long to go without touch, but it had been too long with how she was feeling.

“The only gift you need to give me right this second, is to get me to dinner with Charity and girls as soon as possible. Bring the flowers to Charity tomorrow.”

He smiled down at her, arms wrapping around her to hold her close. “Oh, I’ll get her flowers tomorrow, but they won’t be from a shop. It’s August. Her favorite wildflowers are in bloom and there’s a field of them on the way home. I’ll bring her those. And I picked up Christine a program from every ballet from every city and a pair of pointe shoes from one of the ballerinas she’s obsessed with. For Helen there’s a new doll for her dollhouse from a factory in Ohio and a painting of a mermaid.” He frowned for a second. “I hope she still likes mermaids. Her interests change so often I’m scrambling to keep up.”

Jenny rested her head on his chest. “She’s a little girl. She’ll find something that sticks, but for now anything you buy her will be more than enough. You’re her father. The best gift she’s going to get tomorrow is that you’ll be home.”

“I don’t think you’ll hurt either. Charity’s letters say they won’t stop talking about you and trying to sing some of the songs from your performance in New York.”

She just stood there pressed against Phineas, taking it all in. Sometimes, even months on she couldn’t believe this was all real. “Pinch me, darling.”

“What for?” There was just the beginnings of a growl in Phineas’s voice. He most certainly thought it was going somewhere sexual. Which when they were back in her rooms, it most likely would, but for now.

“Sometimes it doesn’t feel quite believable. I think sometimes I’m dreaming. Pinch me and prove it’s not.”

He pinched her arm gently and the slightest jolt of pain zinged up the nerves. She sighed, melting into him more.

“It’s real.”

“It will always be real. This is the realest thing that has happened to me since Charity and the girls. Whatever you need to make sure you believe it, I’ll do.”

She stepped back from him. “Let me take off my makeup and change out of my performance dress. Then take me back to the hotel and make love to me. Tomorrow, bring me back to the city so we can see our family. That’s all I’ll need from you, just love and support.”

“Always.” He opened the dressing room door and stepped out. “Just find me when you need me.”

“Always.”

He shut the door and Jenny felt so full of love she didn’t quite know what to do with herself, so she just settled into her familiar after-show routine and basked in the feeling. She was loved. She was in love. And soon that love would only grow.


	4. Chapter 4

Jenny stepped off the train and took a long look around at the bustling station. Watching out the window as the skyline of New York had come into view had sent her heart thundering. New York wasn’t where she had considered home, but now she felt the relief that only came with being at home after being away for a long time. 

Phineas hopped down beside her and took a deep breath. “Ah, that New York smell. Isn’t anything quite like it.”

Jenny snorted. “I surely hope not. New York isn’t the most pleasant smelling city.” Though neither was any European city she had ever lived in, but she wasn’t about to tell Phineas that.

“Ah, but you don’t get that smell of opportunity anywhere else.”

“I think you might be imagining that, Mr. Barnum.”

He waved away her skepticism. “If you believe in anything enough, it becomes real.”

Jenny let him have that one, even though a retort about ending up in an asylum was on the tip of her tongue. The man had basically imagined himself all the way to rich and famous, if anyone could get away with such statements, it was him. 

“I’m going to go make sure everything is unloaded and on its way back to the circus. I’ll find you later?”

Jenny nodded. She would have to find her own things among the ruckus and make sure they were packed in a carriage. She hadn’t made any prior arrangements for a hotel for her continued stay in New York, but she was sure the Waldorf would have something. Though, if she were going to stay here long term she should look into at least renting a place of her own. It would be cheaper in the long run. 

She stopped for just a second at the thought. Her plans before Phineas and Charity had unfolded had been to return to Europe and to contact an acquaintance that had mailed her a few days before Phineas had stormed into Buckingham Palace like he owned the place with an offer of singing at the Paris Opera again for a season. She had been eager to take the opportunity. She had loved Paris the first time she had sung there, an entire season would have been marvelous. But now...now she wanted to stay in New York. There was the Metropolitan Opera here among other smaller companies. There was still opportunity here for her career. And more importantly, there was Phineas and Charity. Perhaps she should look into an apartment sooner than later...perhaps even a house. 

Jenny found all of her things rather easily and directed them to a carriage with her name on it. Phineas had thought of everything for their arrival it seemed. With nothing else to do while she waited for Phineas to appear again, she walked around idly, stretching her legs. It felt nice enough to walk around after a few hours on a train. Though she would love if Phineas would be done soon. After four months of travel and an entire day before she would see Charity and the girls for dinner, she wanted to check into a room and relax in a bath full of the hottest water she could find and scrub any dust and dirt from traveling off her skin. She wanted to be soft and smelling of lilies when Charity got close enough to her to discern such things. She idly wondered what Charity would smell like and had to stop the thought as a blush started to crawl up her neck. Oh, only a day now. She could make it without combusting from her own imagination.

It was a good half an hour before Phineas appeared from the crowd and smiled at her. She had only managed to think of dinner and Charity a half a dozen times in those thirty minutes. She counted it as a win, albeit very slight, and then there was Phineas and his dazzling smile and she was lost to thoughts of the two of them all again. Perhaps it was the exhaustion from being on the road for so long, but she couldn’t seem to keep her thoughts in line anymore, or maybe it was just the excitement, possibly both.

“Ready to go home, Ms. Lind?” Phineas asked when he was near enough.

“Well I haven’t really thought as to where I’m going to stay tonight, perhaps the Waldorf, but I’m ready to not have to be in and out of a train every few days.”

He stopped just in front of her, confusion on his face. “Hotel? No, we’re going home.”

Now it was Jenny’s turn to be confused, her brow lowered over her eyes and she met his eyes. “I know you’re going home, but my invitation to dinner is for tomorrow. As it isn’t tomorrow I was under the impression that I would be lodging elsewhere for the night and seeing you tomorrow evening.”

“What would be the point of that?” He grabbed her arm gently and pulled her towards the door to the carriage where his own baggage was being loaded. 

Jenny didn’t resist his pull and climbed up into the carriage and sat down. Phineas stayed standing on the pavement, they were now eye to eye. Her eyes flicked down to his lips, but she held herself back. They were in public, unfortunately. And besides, she could control herself, for goodness sake. She had just kissed him this morning before they had left the hotel room to get on the train. It wasn’t as if she was dying from lack of affection. Though, considering just how much they had been exchanging both casual touches and kisses during the last three months, it had been a good while since this morning. Oh, this was hopeless being in this honeymoon period to their relationship. She felt too giddy to truly keep herself together, though she had managed it. She was a lady after all, but it had been a struggle, and now, so close to Charity and dinner, even being a lady was no saving grace.

“The point,” she finally managed to say, “is that guests don’t just show up the day before their invitations. That’s not how polite society works, and I know you know that Phineas.”

“And I know that you know that Charity would be delighted to see you a day early. If you don’t come with me now, she’s going to ask about you and everything that happened on the trip from the time I get home to when you show up tomorrow.” He smirked and leaned forward, voice dropping to almost a whisper. “I can distract her for at least a few hours, but even my charms will wear out sometime.”

She rolled her eyes and sat back in the carriage seat, breaking his stare. “Yes, I’m familiar with your  _ charms _ .” He really did have a great amount of stamina when he wanted to, but that was not the point here. “I think you can manage to talk to the woman you love for a night. Twenty-four hours isn’t so long.”

“I’d prefer if I didn’t have to part with you.” His voice was soft enough that she sat forward again. He looked at her with open and vulnerable eyes. “You asked me to pinch you yesterday to prove it was real. I know it’s real. I’ve felt too much for it not to be, but I still find I don’t want to see you leave. If something were to go wrong now, it would break my heart. Charity will be delighted to see you. The girls will be too. Please, let’s go home?”

Jenny knew there was no way that she could say no to such an open admission. The man had bravado in spades, but his vulnerable moments, few as they could be, grabbed her heart in a way like no other. In him, in many different moments she could see different aspects of a man that Charity had fallen in love with, that she herself had fallen in love with, but this man, this side of him, this knowing when to truly open up, it was how he had kept Charity by his side all these years. In a future she was just beginning to grasp the edges of, she could see how it would keep her for years too.

She held out her hand for him and he grabbed it without hesitating and pulled himself up into the carriage with a smile, back to the bright and bubbly man everyone knew. He pulled the carriage door shut and sank down next to her, burying his face in her neck the next second. She sighed and sat back, relishing the feeling of his lips lightly kissing the skin there. 

“If Charity has any protests, I will tell her this was all your idea.” Jenny felt the words lacked a bit of the bite she was going for, sounding just on the edge of breathy. 

He laughed. “She won’t, but I take full responsibility anyway.”

“Everything’s loaded up boss!” A gruff male voice called from outside the carriage. 

Phineas sat up and opened the door for just a second, stepping out to confirm and talk to the driver before slipping back inside and closing it once again. The carriage started to move a few seconds later and Jenny relaxed into Phineas once more. 

“Home,” she whispered, watching the light on the carriage curtains shifting slightly as they clopped their way down the street.

“For as long as you want it,” Phineas said, kissing her hair, his head on top of hers now after his jaunt outside. 

“It’s been a long time since I’ve had a real home.” She paused for a moment before her lips turned down into a frown. “And if I were to stay with you indefinitely, some sort of rumors would spread. I wouldn’t want to ruin your reputations.”

Phineas chuckled. “Charity could not give less of a damn. Considering everyone thinks I am some pretender, still a poor boy who doesn’t know my place, I don’t think it will get any better. What will it matter so long as we are all happy?”

She thought about that for long minutes as they bumped along through the cobblestone streets of the city. She had been concerned with her own image and unconcerned with it all at the same time. She supposed the dichotomy came with both being a performer and a bastard child. Did she care about what New York society would think? She closed her eyes and just rested on Phineas, feeling safe with him at her side, safer now than ever before.

No. She didn’t care. And she wouldn’t as long as they were all happy. 

“And if you’re truly worried, the house beside ours is for sale. No one would pay much attention if you were always over if you lived two thousand feet away.”

She pulled in a breath at that.

“Just something to think about,” Phineas continued before she could speak.

“You and your silver tongue, Mr. Barnum. It has a knack of saying just what is needed.”

“That’s why it’s silver, it’s worth something.”

She rolled her eyes. “Truth be told, I was already thinking of finding somewhere permanent to live in order to be close to all of you.”

She felt his smile without even seeing it. “My, my, Jenny, so it  _ is  _ serious.”

Jenny slapped him on the chest lightly. “You know it is.”

He pulled back enough to pull her into a deep kiss. “I do.”

She looked into his hazel eyes and sighed. “I want it. Home. Our home.”

His smile was as dazzling as ever. “Should I make sure the neighbor house stays unsold?”

“Don’t do anything rash. This is still so new, but…” she trailed off. “I might like to have the option.”

“That, I can more than do. And nothing rash, I promise.”

Her gaze morphed into one as unbelieving as a mother’s with a child caught in the candy dish denying they had eaten any. “Phineas. Does Charity believe you when you say that?”

“Sometimes?” He ducked his head and looked away.

“I thought so.” She laid her head back on his chest. 

Home.

It really was all happening so fast, but she didn’t feel rushed. She felt as if everything was proceeding right on schedule, that everything was falling into place just as it should. Perhaps she should be balking at the idea of buying a home right next to the Barnums before she had even made sure this thing between her and Charity would work, but...she was sure it would. There had been very few things she had been sure about, singing had been one, applying to the conservatory had been another, leaving her home country despite no real notoriety abroad, and then Phineas, then Charity. All her other choices had led her to places she could have never imagined, succeeding in a way children like her were never supposed to. To go against this feeling felt more than wrong. So she wouldn’t. She would follow her instincts once more until she was home.

\--

The carriage pulled up at their manor an hour later. Phineas sprang out, face lit up.

“Oh, home sweet home.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, sighing, content. He turned around and offered his hand to her. “Come on! I’m sure they’ve been waiting to see us all day.”

She took his hand and stepped down carefully, feeling the butterflies fill her stomach, looking up the steps at the manor. She truly hoped that it was ok she came early, but there was no reversing the decision now. 

Phineas turned to the carriage driver and a butler who had appeared a second after he had exited the carriage. “Take my things up to my rooms and set Ms. Lind’s things up in the Blue Room, if you could.” He smiled at them winsomely and then pulled her forward up the stairs to the front door and then through it. He waited for a second listening.

Jenny strained her ears too, but didn’t hear anything for a few seconds until she heard the distant notes of a piano. She tilted her head to the side, listening. She couldn’t quite make out what was being played, not this far away.

“Who plays?” Jenny asked, still listening.

Phineas smiled. “Charity. Explains why the girls weren’t at the windows looking for us.” He shook his head fondly. “They were probably asking every few minutes when I would be home. They love her playing, so it was most likely an ingenious distraction.”

She laughed quietly. “They love you a great deal.”

“Just as I love them.” He pulled her forward again. “Now, let's go find our family.”

They weaved their way through a long couple of hallways, the music growing louder with every step. She could finally make out the tune,  _ Love’s Old Sweet Song _ and smiled. She had always liked the tune, though it was more of a western bar tune than she was fond of singing herself. She caught the sound of a voice singing the words as they walked towards the music and she strained her ears to listen. It had to be Charity singing, the girls' voices would be higher, but Phineas hadn’t ever said anything about Charity singing before. Considering that she quite literally was a professional singer she didn’t really know how something like that had escaped his notice to tell her. She would have loved to know.

But then the final notes of the song were played before they had reached their destination. There was the sound of two pairs of hands clapping wildly, closer now. They could only be a door or two away from the room and Jenny held her breath.

“What do you want me to play now,” Charity asked.

Hearing her voice after so many months was a balm. It was really happening. They were finally here, finally home.

Phineas stopped in the next doorway and smiled. She stepped beside him and there was Charity, at a grand piano, elegant as ever, smiling at them.

“Can you play us Ms. Jenny’s song, Mama?” Helen asked.

“Hmm, I don’t know that one, but I know a song I think you both will like.” She started to play a quiet but jaunty tune, playing a few bars before she started to sing.

_ “ _ _ Some people long for a life that is simple and planned _

_ Tied with a ribbon _

_ Some people won't sail the sea 'cause they're safer on land _

_ To follow what's written _

_ But I'd follow you to the great unknown _

_ Off to a world we call our own” _

Jenny leaned into Phineas, whispering to him. “You don’t tell me that your wife can play piano, I can understand, but you don’t tell me that she can sing like this. I’m almost offended, Mr. Barnum.”

He laughed low, vibrations setting the little hairs on the arm Jenny had pressed against him to stand. “She doesn’t think that she can really sing. She says that her finishing school made sure she knew how to sing on key, but nothing more.”

“She does know that that is most of what singing is, yes?” She cocked an eyebrow.

He smiled down at her. “Somehow, I think she’ll believe that more from you than she ever did from me.”

_ “Hand in my hand and we promised to never let go _

_ We're walking the tightrope _

_ High in the sky _

_ We can see the whole world down below _

_ We're walking the tightrope _

_ Never sure, never know how far we could fall _

_ But it's all an adventure _

_ That comes with a breathtaking view _

_ Walking the tightrope” _

“I’ve never heard this song,” Jenny said, listening intently. Charity had a lovely voice. It made her want to walk in the room and sit down and harmonize with her, even if she didn’t know the words.

“That’s because she wrote it. For me. For our first wedding anniversary.”

She looked up at him in wonder. “Really?”

He nodded. “We didn’t have much, or anything really, that first year. She knew basic music theory from finishing school and she had time on her hands. She went down to a local bar and played for tips and for time before the bar opened to work on the piece. And then she brought me there and played it for me and fifty of my closest, drunkest neighbors.” He laughed softly. “I think it may still be my favorite gift she’s ever given me. She sang it to the girls as a lullaby as well.”

_ “With you, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh _

_ With you, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh _

_ With you _

_ Mountains and valleys, and all that will come in between _

_ Desert and ocean _

_ You pulled me in and together we're lost in a dream _

_ Always in motion _

_ So I risk it all just to be with you _

_ And I risk it all for this life we choose” _

Charity’s eyes found them both, singing the last line to them, an intense, loving look in her eyes. Jenny felt her breath leave her and she almost took a step forward, but somehow that would ruin this moment where the girls were raptly looking at their mother, backs turned to her and Phineas, a quiet peace of performance settled over them all. But it was so tempting. Because in that gaze there was no anger that she was here early, not even surprise, just joy that she was there finally after so many months.

_ “Hand in my hand and you promised to never let go _

_ We're walking the tightrope _

_ High in the sky _

_ We can see the whole world down below _

_ We're walking the tightrope _

_ Never sure, will you catch me if I should fall? _

_ Well, it's all an adventure _

_ That comes with a breathtaking view _

_ Walking the tightrope _

_ With you, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh _

_ With you, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh _

_ With you _

_ With you, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh _

_ With you, ooh-ooh-ooh _

_ With you” _

Charity played the last chord and stood from the piano as the girls clapped. The next second she was wrapping an arm around both her and Phineas. Another second and the girls were right behind her. 

“Daddy!”

“Ms. Jenny!”

One girl slammed into Jenny’s side and she pressed a gentle hand to their head, Helen judging by the curly hair under her palm. She felt Charity squeeze her harder and Jenny breathed her in, soft scents of gardenias and peonies mixed with the sharper scents of Phineas and his cologne. She wanted to just melt into them both on the spot. Finally. Oh, finally.

“Welcome home, you two,” Charity whispered. “I’m glad you’re here. In fact, I had an inkling that Phin would just invite you back today. I don’t know what I was thinking, waiting a day. As the days counted down I regretted that more and more. Thankfully, my lovely husband has always been big on skirting the rules.”

They pulled apart just enough for Phineas to smile down at both of them, blushing. “It only made sense. Why separate for a day when we could just have dinner tonight. And perhaps for many nights to come?”

“Daddy!” Helen pulled away from Jenny and circled their little group to grab onto his leg next to Caroline. “You haven’t seen my new doll, you have to see her. And you have to see the paintings I’ve been doing!”

“Of course I will pumpkin. You’ve got to show me everything and tell me all about it.” He ruffled his daughter’s hair. “And you’ve got to tell me all about the recitals I’ve missed. Maybe reenact them for me?” He asked.

Caroline lit up. “Yeah!”

He pulled back a little further from their embrace. “Well then! Go get everything ready and I’ll be right there.”

The girls shot off down the hall at a run.

“Girls! You know not to run in the house!”

The girls, however, did not slow down. Charity rolled her eyes but didn’t try again. It wasn’t every day that your father returned from a four month long business trip. She smiled at the other woman in solidarity. 

Phineas stepped forward and swept Charity up in his arms and spun her around a few times before setting her back on the ground. “Hello there, Mrs. Barnum.” He kissed her, long and deep, a reunion in a touch. Jenny watched, feeling nerves she hadn’t known she had light up under her skin. She had theorized she would be fine with this, with sharing Phineas. Had checked in with herself at every turn to make sure, had thought about it for months while she was still trying to choose. But seeing it now? Oh, she was more than fine with it. She felt her pulse skyrocket and her cheeks flush. Her mind flashed to the image of her, Phineas and Charity naked together and she had to immediately stop for fear that she was going to melt into a puddle of goo right there.

The two pulled back and Jenny was spared from going completely boneless. “Go on, we’ll have later. The girls have been clamoring since before the sun rose this morning, waiting for you to get home. Go spend time with them. Jenny and I will be along later.”

“If you’re sure.” He kissed each of them on the cheek. “Lunch is soon I hope?”

“Of course. I had the chef make your favorite.”

“You’re truly a goddess on earth.” And then he turned and walked up the hall.

Jenny turned to Charity. “What’s his favorite?”

“Pasties. He had them a great deal as a young man working on the railroad. I started making them for him when he was a wage worker at various businesses around New York. We have them occasionally now as a treat, which any other family of our class would question immensely but.” She shrugged one shoulder elegantly. “You have to remember where you’re from somehow.”

“Remembering where I came from would take a great lot of fish to accomplish. I don’t think it would be much for an American palate.”

“How much fish and what type?” Charity asked curiously.

“Herring mostly, and a lot, usually pickled.”

Charity stared at her in horror for a long second before finally pulling herself together again. “You’re right then, that’s not anything an American would be truly fond of.”

Jenny laughed. “No, I think you really have to grow up eating it to appreciate it, otherwise it takes some getting used to and it's probably never your favorite dish.” She licked her lips, looking Charity up and down. Though there were other things that could be a favorite, if only she tried them.

“Well, Ms. Lind, it didn’t take you long to start giving me a look.” Charity stepped forward and lifted her chin just a little bit to meet Jenny’s eyes. “To be fair, I have been giving you more than your fair share of looks while playing the piano. But I was at least a little more subtle.”

Jenny felt her breath catch in her throat at the look in Charity’s brown eyes. “I found that my subtlety left the second you sat me down in your parlor and proposed this bargain.”

“Good.” She drew Jenny forward and rested her hands on Jenny’s waist. “I’m truly glad Phin brought you today.”

“I’m glad I came.” And the words were so honest, so light, she felt as if they lifted her up too.

“I admit there’s something I’ve been wanting to do for a long while.” Her eyes dropped to Jenny’s lips for a long, long moment.

Jenny forgot how to breathe. “And that is?” She asked, barely managing to gasp out the words. 

“May I kiss you?”

“Please, dear God, please.”

One of Charity’s hands came up to stroke the back of Jenny’s neck, pulling her gently in and a second later their lips met and  _ oh _ .  _ Oh.  _ She had been worried about responding to a woman the same way as a man. The worry had lessened as she exchanged letters with Charity, even more after watching Phineas and Charity kiss, but this, this kiss? It showed she had nothing more to worry about. She moaned quietly into Charity’s lips, already trembling.

Charity pulled back slowly. “Oh, my. Well, that went beyond even my wildest dreams. I can’t wait to do it again.”

And Jenny was desperate for her to do so, but Charity stepped back. “Would you like to go see what Phin and the girls are up to? They’ve been asking after you as well. I’m sure they’d love to show you just what they’ve been doing while you’ve been gone as well.”

Jenny nodded mutely. Yes. She wanted to see what the girls had been up to too, but her brain still had more than a few gears to align to get her thoughts up and working again.

“And Jenny?”

“Hmm?” She managed a noise at least this time. 

“My offer to spend the night?”

Jenny gulped loudly and nodded. Oh, she remembered that offer well.

“I’ve had a thousand nights with Phin, and you’ve had your share. The two of us alone, learning each other’s bodies, does that sound amenable to you?”

Jenny had to swallow a few times before she could answer, mouth far too dry. “Yes. I would like that.”

Charity smirked and kissed her cheek. “Good. Now come on Ms. Lind, we have a Phin and girls to find.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's finally family dinner. Complete with a bunch of teasing Phin and a whooooooooooooooole lot of Jenny/Charity smut later in the chapter. If it isn't your thing, after they're in the bedroom, you won't miss much picking it up in the final chapter.

Jenny stood in front of the mirror putting the last touches on her makeup. She had bathed and gotten rid of all of the grime of traveling and she felt more relaxed than she had in a long while. There was no journey looming over her, no need to pack up again, just dinner to look forward to and nothing else. She smiled and looked her face over and nodded. It would do for tonight. She didn’t want anything too heavy anyway. She walked out of the bathroom and looked at the dress she had laid out before she had gotten into the tub and smirked. Charity was going to lose her mind. Phineas had too the first time he had seen it. She licked her lips remembering that particular night. She hadn’t worn this particular dress until after she had agreed to Charity’s terms and it had not disappointed. 

Though, now, looking down at it and the corset that went with it, she was going to need help with the lacing on this one, and there was no convenient assistant now that they weren’t on tour. She frowned. What to do. But then there was a knock on the door. 

“Who is it?” Jenny called out. She was still just wrapped in a towel, not that that would be a problem for half of the occupants of the manor, but just in case it was the girls, it was better to ask.

“It’s me, angel,” Phineas said from outside the door.

Jenny felt her heart leap. Oh, it had only been an hour and a half at most, but still. She hurried over to the door and opened it enough to see Phineas. “Yes?”

“Can I come in?”

She stepped back immediately and he slipped in. When he got a full look at her, he groaned. She smirked and pressed into him, kissing him for a long second before pulling back again and going to her dress, dropping the towel and slipping her chemise over her head. At least this would solve her corset related problem. 

“You’re trying to kill me, I swear.” Phineas came up behind her once she was done pulling the chemise on and wrapping her up in a hug. “I don’t even get the delight of your company or Charity’s tonight. It’s just torture, seeing you naked when there isn’t time to do anything about it.”

Jenny stopped breathing at the thought of them doing something about it. Months of great sex, and still she wanted more and more. “Well, I could always try and break my personal best for getting you to come.”

Phineas pressed more tightly into Jenny and she could feel him getting harder. She wasn’t going to help him any. She wiggled her ass in that specific way she knew drove him crazy.

“Jenny, God, as much as I love where this is going, if you make us late for dinner, Charity will kill us both.”

Jenny glanced at the clock on the wall. Fifteen minutes. Well, that was enough time to get dressed and make it there with time to spare, but not much else. She was very disappointed, but there would be another time. And the next time she might have Charity beside her to make Phineas’s torturing that much more exquisite. She shivered. Every single part of her was glad that she was finally spending the night with Charity tonight because if she wasn’t, this little exchange between her and Phineas would have her immolating later.

“I suppose then you had better help with my corset and perhaps tomorrow we can pick up where this left off.”

“Count on it.” Phineas stepped back and cleared his throat. “But while you put on your petticoats, I think I need to splash some cold water on my face.”

Jenny snickered and grabbed the next garment and tugged it on. She was long done putting everything on beside the corset by the time Phineas emerged again, looking a little less flushed. She smirked, but showed mercy, turning her back to him. A few seconds later his hands were there, tightening the laces gently.

“Honestly, the thought of you two together tonight combined with your teasing.” He choked in a stuttering breath. “How I’m going to make it until morning, I’ll never know.”

“Well, I imagine it’s felt like that to Charity, but more like the past month at the very least, if not two. I’m sure you’ll survive a night thinking of us on our own. You obviously have functioning hands.”

Another groan. “Jenny,” he practically whined, “still not helping.”

“Who said I was trying to, Mr. Barnum.”

He finished up tugging the laces. “Tight enough?”

“Yes, thank you.” She smiled to herself. He had gotten used to just how tight she liked her corsets over the past few months. It was such a small thing, but it felt so large, to be known in such an intimate way.

He knotted everything and stepped back again. His eyes fell to the dress on the bed. “And you’re not making it easy, even while fully dressed.  _ That _ dress, angel? Charity is going to eat you alive later.”

Jenny chuckled. “That is very much the point.”

“Remind me never to come in here again on a night the two of you are going to spend by yourselves. Tomorrow morning isn’t going to come soon enough.”

Heat settled into Jenny’s stomach at thoughts of Phineas touching himself tonight. She could already feel the first tingles of wetness seeping from her. And here she was without drawers on. Then the thought of Charity finding her dripping down her thighs increased the heat to near burning. Oh Lord. Phineas was worried about getting through the night, but how was she supposed to get through  _ dinner _ ?

“I won’t, because I think you secretly love the torture, and when you find us both tomorrow morning, it will be all the sweeter.”

Phineas grumbled, but he didn’t deny it.

She stepped away from him and slipped on the dress. He stepped in again to do the few back clasps there were and then stepped back again. She smoothed the material and looked into the mirror. Oh yes, this would do, this would do nicely.

“Shall we, then?” Jenny asked, turning back to Phineas.

He held out his arm. “I’m ready when you are.”

She took it and smiled up at him. “I’m always ready to put on a show.”

“Even that sounds sexual right now.”

“Because it was.”

He shook his head with an exasperated yet fond eye roll and then led her from the room and downstairs. 

Jenny heard the second that Charity saw her in the dress. Charity was clear across the foyer, but the gasp was still clearly audible. She smirked at the other woman as they descended the stairs slowly. Charity had been right about the color in her letter. She had wanted to see Jenny in something blue, something jewel-toned, and here she was in a deep sapphire dress that dipped down just a little bit too low in the bodice and fit her like a glove from the waist up and left precious little to the imagination. The skirts flowed out softly from the waist, but nothing overly ostentatious, and she supposed, if a person was looking as hard as Charity was, you could get the general idea of what lay underneath there as well. Not that Charity wouldn’t be getting an up-close and personal look later. A shiver went through her and she licked her lips. Hopefully, dinner would pass quickly. She was looking forward to dessert most of all.

They hit the bottom of the stairs and Charity was there a second later, looking over Jenny with hungry eyes. “Ms. Lind, your letters didn’t lie about this dress.” She reached out and ran her hand over the fabric at Jenny’s waist.

“I do try not to deceive you, darling.”

“But if she says she doesn’t know what this dress does to people, she’s lying,” Phineas said.

“I would never say that. I know  _ exactly _ what it does. That’s the entire reason I bought it in the first place. Though I admit, I never thought I would actually  _ want _ to seduce anyone with it. It was just supposed to be for charming larger donations out of wealthy men, but this is so much more pleasant.”

“Thank god dinner is only three courses…” Charity said under her breath.

“One might think you planned dinner to be short, Mrs. Barnum.” Jenny’s smirk had a teasing edge. She was more than thankful there weren’t many courses to sit through.

“One might.” 

Charity’s heated gaze met Jenny’s again and Jenny once again felt the urge to skip dinner entirely in favor of more carnal pleasures. But then the girls were thundering down the stairs behind them, both in pretty dresses of their own and looking thrilled at the chance to play a little bit of dress-up. Jenny blinked and looked away from Charity, calming herself slightly. They could make it through dinner. She would hear more of the girls’ stories from the months they were gone, and she would love every minute of it. Until dinner was over, she would keep this boiling attraction at a bare simmer. She could do it. She had done it before, but God almighty it was harder with Charity than anyone else, save perhaps Phineas. Though perhaps the edge of unknown to the desire was giving Charity that extra longing edge.

“Ms. Jenny, do you like my dress?” Caroline asked, standing to the side of the little group of adults, smiling proudly as she curtsied down almost perfectly and with the grace of the ballerina that she was becoming.

Jenny looked at the adorable dress of pink and white lace. It reminded her much of a modern version of what she would’ve picked for herself when she was little. “It’s a wonderful dress, Caroline. Did you pick it out yourself?”

She nodded enthusiastically. “I did last weekend. Mommy said we should have nice dresses for our dinner with you.”

“Yeah!” Helen said, appearing on her sister’s other side. The amount of ruffles on her dress was criminally cute, pale blue and frilly in a way that Jenny wouldn’t have thought Helen would’ve liked considering she was the more rough and tumble of the sisters, but it still very much suited her. “Do you like mine too, Ms. Jenny?”

“You’re so cute I could eat you up.” She snapped her teeth and Helen giggled.

“Well, I suppose we had better feed you before you eat any of the children,” Charity interjected. “Dinner is ready and waiting for us.”

Jenny willingly followed the other woman to the dining room, her arm still holding onto Phineas. She leaned closer to the man as they walked. “One day you’ll have to tell Charity just what you did the first time you saw me in this dress.”

Phineas’s answering hum was verging on pained. “I think she’ll want to reenact it,” he replied in a whisper.

“I have no problems with that. You were in rare form that night.”

“I would be in rare form tonight if you let me.”

Charity drifted back to walk with them the last few steps. “Now, now, Phin, you’ll get your turn with both of us. But you’ve had your fun with Jenny for three months alone. I want my turn to learn what makes her scream.”

“Now both of you are trying to kill me.”

“Oh no, we want you alive, darling. If you die after a night with the both of us however…” Jenny let go of his arm to take the seat she had before at their last dinner. She smirked up at Phineas who definitely looked like he wanted to reply, but he had to just continue on to his seat at the head of the table and sink down while the girls played rock, paper, scissors to decide who sat next to Jenny. Helen won and sat down beside Jenny with a smile.

Jenny looked across the table at Charity who was settling herself into her seat. They both grinned at each other at the tortured look on Phineas’s face. She bit the inside of her lip. Oh both of them with Phineas, he truly was going to die and she was going to love every second of it.

The first course appeared in front of them, a salad, and Jenny waited only as long as was polite before diving in. She couldn’t control the speed at which the others ate, but she still wanted to finish as soon as possible. 

“So,” Jenny said between bites, “girls tell me, do you like the snow?”

Both of them immediately perked up and she listened to them babble on about the various snowmen they had made in the park near their small apartment in the Lower East Side. She found it adorable and looked across the table at Charity who was looking on with love at the both of her girls. Their eyes met and Jenny swore she could see the same thought in Charity’s eyes that had brought the topic of snow to her mind. She still truly wanted to go on that ski trip, maybe now more than ever, and from her eyes, Charity did too. She smiled, a little wisp of a secret thing and turned back to the girls. In a few months then, after Christmas probably.

And then it really hit her that she was going to spend Christmas with this family, her family. She felt a threat of tears push against her eyes, but she blinked them back. Christmas with her family. How long had it been since she had spent the holidays somewhere she actually wanted to be? Childhood, probably, but even then, she really didn’t remember.

“And you, Jenny,” Phineas said, pulling Jenny back into the moment, “have you ice skated before?”

Jenny laughed and nodded, sitting back as the mostly empty salad plate was taken from in front of her and replaced with what looked to be roast, potatoes, and broccoli. “I have, but unlike skiing, I was never any good at it. I can barely stay upright.”

“We can teach you!” Helen exclaimed, bouncing in her seat. “Mommy and Daddy took us a bunch last winter after we moved here. It was fun and I can go zooming around the rink now. I’m really fast!”

Jenny smiled at the girl and ruffled her hair gently. “I’d like that. Though I think even with your help I’ll still be very bad at it. I think my ankles just aren’t up for the challenge.”

“No, you just need practice. Because practice makes perfect, right mommy?” Helen looked over at Charity.

“That’s right, baby. I’m sure Ms. Jenny knows all about practice with her singing and other things she’s done.” Charity cocked a dangerous eyebrow and Jenny found herself blushing. Well then.

“Yes, practice certainly makes you better, but for some things there’s a natural level of skill. Balance has never been the strongest sense for me. Skiing I can get away with but ice skating seems to be just a little bit of a bridge too far. “

“But you could get better with practice and the right motivation. I’m sure the girls helping you would be the right motivation.” A hungry smirk that said there would be other motivation too.

“If it makes you feel better, I haven’t been ever. I stood on the sidelines while Charity and the girls flew around on the ice.”

“So you’re saying you would like the girls to teach you as well this year?”

Phineas sputtered. “I mean, I suppose, but I mean--” but the girls were already cheering.

“Don’t worry, dear heart, I’m sure we can find the right motivation for you too.” Charity Barnum might just have little devil horns on her head somewhere, if Jenny looked hard enough, she was sure. She grinned at the thought as Phineas caught the innuendo and pink-tinged his cheeks and the tips of his ears.

Conversation continued to flow and more and more of Jenny’s dinner disappeared. She felt her anticipation rise with every bite. She really was thrilled to spend family time like this with the girls, but she was already feeling overheated in this dress and the slippery feeling between her thighs was only growing as Charity slipped innuendo after innuendo past the children. Phineas being Phineas wasn’t helping either, half helping Charity to tease her, and half being teased himself. She just wanted to take both of them into the next room and kiss them until they were all breathless.

But then the dinner plates were taken away and a large chocolate cake was set on the middle of the table between all of them with a knife and plates. Jenny licked her lips. She had almost forgotten about the promise of chocolate cake in the letters they had exchanged. Oh, tasting chocolate on Charity’s lips was not going to help dull her craving for the other woman, not at all.

Charity stood. “I think a little welcome back isn’t remiss since both Ms. Jenny and Daddy are back with us.” She smiled at the girls who nodded, but their eyes remained on the chocolate cake. Jenny could see what Charity meant by chocolate being the girls' favorite if that’s how they looked at a cake. “I’m very, very glad to have both of you back. I missed you both terribly. I look forward to spending time with each of you alone and together. I look forward to not having to love you from afar. And I also look forward to teasing you in person instead of through the written word. Most of all, I look forward to falling more in love with both of you.”

There were simultaneous “Ews” from the girls and Jenny laughed with Phineas and Charity.

“Girls, you aren’t glad your Daddy and Ms. Jenny are back?” Charity asked between bouts of laughter.

“Well, yeah,” Caroline said, “but there’s no need to get all mushy, Mommy.”

Charity smiled and shook her head. “You’ll understand one day, dear heart, but until then you can say ew all you want. I don’t want you growing up too fast. You’re growing too fast already. Just yesterday I swear you were this big.” She held her fingers about an inch apart.

Helen giggled. “Mommy, I’ve seen babies, none of them are that small, not even Caroline.”

“Ok so maybe this big.” Charity held her fingers apart just a little more.

Jenny watched the bantering, smiling softly. This was what family dinners were going to be like for the foreseeable future. It was warm and cozy and all that she wanted.

“Well, I think if we did find a baby that small, they’d have to come join the show!” Phineas said. 

The girls both nodded at their father's proclamation.

“And I think we’re very much forgetting the fact that here’s chocolate cake sitting right in front of us,” Jenny interjected.

The girls sat up straight and looked at the cake again and then at their mother with large puppy dog eyes. Jenny wouldn’t be able to deny those girls anything if they looked at her like that.

“I suppose we have waited long enough for cake.” Charity picked up the knife and started cutting out pieces and hanging them to each person in turn. Jenny thought her piece was a bit bigger than all the rest, but she wasn’t about to say anything and if it was on purpose, well, she definitely appreciated it the moment she took a bite and almost moaned. It was truly exquisite cake, moist and sweet and melt in your mouth. If she didn’t know what was lying ahead for her, she would say that this would be the best part of her night.

“Worth the train trip home?” Charity asked, taking her own bite of cake and smiling at the taste.

“I mean, the trip home has already been made up for in spades.” She glanced at her and then at Phin and finally the girls. “But this is definitely a good cherry on top.”

“Good, good, I was sure you were going to like dessert.” 

A quick wink and suddenly even as good as the cake was, Jenny wanted it gone. She clenched her legs against the wave of arousal that coursed through her. Now she understood at least a fraction of what she was sure Phineas was feeling. At least hiding her arousal was easier. 

She ate one bite of cake at a time, trying to savor it, but largely just looking at the woman across from her and feeling her excitement rise higher and higher. Jenny had a feeling that the second Charity touched her she just might come. And how embarrassing would that be? Yet, also how much of a turn-on was that? She started to squirm in her seat ever so slightly, but Charity’s sly eyes caught her and pinned her to the seat with a smirk. She had never thought that this would be the dynamic between them, yet here they were. She was ready to do whatever the other woman told her for the night. Anything else could be figured out later.

Finally, their plates were empty and Charity looked at Phineas. “Girls would you like your father to read you a story before bed tonight?”

“Yes!” Both of them exclaimed at the same time.

“Wonderful, I’m sure he’ll be up in a minute if you both go start getting ready for bed.”

Both girls were up and half running from the room. Jenny smiled at that. So Charity had managed to keep them from outright running now, that was progress.

“You’ll keep them occupied until they fall asleep?” Charity asked.

“Of course, you two go enjoy yourselves.” He bit his lip looking between the two of them.

“In the morning Phin.” Charity stood up and kissed him on the cheek. “In the morning. And in the morning we’ll already be naked. Think of the expediency.”

“That doesn’t make it any better.” 

Jenny stood up herself and stepped over to kiss Phineas on his other cheek. “It doesn’t make it any better right now, but I bet it will make it better tomorrow morning. Imagine, finding us naked, still smelling of sex from the night before, ready for a lazy morning round of sex. Doesn’t that sound wonderful, Phineas?” She purred out his name and saw all of his blood moving southward.

“Go before to make this any worse.”

Jenny looked up at Charity and they both laughed. “Sorry dear heart,” Charity said.

“You don’t sound all that sorry.”

“Because I don’t think she is. I’m certainly not.” She held out her arm for Charity. “Shall we?”

“Oh, most certainly, Ms. Lind.” Charity looped her arm through Jenny’s and then pulled them both off towards the stairs. She continued pulling them until they were through the door to Jenny’s room and it was really only then that Jenny clicked that her room was the farthest room from either of the girl’s rooms. Oh Phineas was a clever man putting her here. As big as the house was, no matter how loud they were, the girls most likely wouldn’t hear.

“Tell me something,” Jenny said as Charity shut the door behind them and then backed her into it, “is this where you and Phineas go to fuck when you need to be loud?”

Charity’s eyes darkened even farther and one of her hands came up to grip Jenny’s chin. Jenny felt herself melting at the absolute level of control the other woman seemed to emanate. She had always been the one to take control in her other relationships, but this...perhaps it was time she tried the other side. 

“It might be. There’s a box under the bed that would have let you know so, but most people don’t exactly go looking for things with the dust bunnies.” She smirked, showing teeth and Jenny couldn’t take it anymore. She launched herself forward and tried to kiss that smirk off of Charity’s face. 

But she didn’t go much of anywhere. Charity’s grip firmed on her chin and held her in place. She pouted. She really, really wanted to kiss Charity. She was rather sure that Charity wanted that too, but yet here they were, not kissing.

“No, no, Jenny, I’ve had to wait through dinner with you looking like  _ that _ , you can wait for a little while as I get just a little revenge.”

“Charity,” she whined. This was their first time. Did there have to be any revenge, truly? She was already wetter than she possibly imagined. As nervous as she had been about being with a woman, now that it was time, there were no nerves. She just  _ wanted _ and she trusted her instincts to carry her forward. 

Charity kissed the tip of her nose. “It will only make it better, believe me. Phin says so, and he’s a man who won’t be delayed from pleasure in everything else.”

Jenny laughed at that. “We really are going to be the death of him then, aren’t we?”

“Oh, I very much plan on it.” And then Charity stepped back and her hands went to the clasps on her dress. “You remember what I told you about the dress I would be wearing tonight?”

Jenny nodded quickly, eyes glued to Charity’s hands. “That it didn’t require a corset and that you would be wearing nothing under it.”

“Right you are. And now, for that dress, you get to look, but you don’t get to touch until I say so, yes?” 

“If I combust, it will be the way I wanted to go.”

Charity’s chuckle at that was dark and delicious, sliding down Jenny’s skin like silk and leaving goosebumps in its wake. “I don’t think things that are wet can catch on fire.”

“You would be surprised. Even water can catch flame in the right circumstances.” But Jenny had no idea why she was still speaking when it was delaying Charity from slipping off her dress. Her brain wasn’t truly thinking, though. She was just saying the first thing that came to mind and she hoped it was applicable. She wasn’t sure that anyone could actually think under these conditions.

“But you aren’t water Jenny. I saw you squirming around at dinner. How long have you been wet for me?”

“Since I walked down the stairs.” Her voice was breathless and she couldn’t look away from the other woman, didn’t even want to try.

“You want to know a secret?” Charity’s voice dropped to a whisper.

“Yes.” Anything. She wanted to know everything about this woman, but especially what was under that dress.

“I’ve been aching for you since the moment I kissed you in the hall and I haven’t stopped since. It’s quite a good thing I’m not wearing drawers. I might have ruined them a long, long time ago.” And then she was undoing the clasps on her dress and shrugging out of it. In a second she was fully bare before Jenny, all creamy, smooth-skinned perfection. She wanted to reach out, to feel just how soft Charity was. Jenny bet she was soft as gossamer but she wouldn’t break under her touch. 

Jenny whimpered, but she stayed where she was. If she was Charity, if she moved from being pressed against the door she wouldn’t let the other person touch her for longer. Charity smirked at her as she ran her hands over her body slowly, stretching and sighing. Jenny’s hands clenched into fists as she saw Charity’s nipples harden in the cool air of the room. Then her eyes dropped to the downy patch of hair between Charity’s thighs, and oh God, she was as wet as she said she was. It was painting the insides of her thighs as well. She wanted to fall to her knees and satisfy the other woman, to lick up that wetness and to make her moan her name out into the night.

“I’m surprised you didn’t move.” Charity walked forward, just an inch from pressing their bodies together. “From your letters I thought we would butt heads in the bedroom, fighting for control. You do so love to tease, but here you are, following direction with even less problem than Phin, and he’s had years and years to get used to me bossing him around.”

“I think that will come later…” Jenny trailed off, getting lost in looking over Charity again now that she was closer. Now she could see little flaws, the stretch marks that she had gained from having the girls, little scars from years of being on the Earth, a few freckles here and there. All of it just made her want to touch Charity that much more. “This is the first time,” she said, finally gaining traction on her thoughts again, “and we’ve been waiting so long. My ego can wait. I just want to touch you.”

“And to make me scream your name.” Charity’s smile was feral and she took another half a step closer until Jenny could feel the heat flowing off of the other woman. She was so close now that one wrong move and they would be touching from hip to chest. “I saw that urge earlier. I know what it looks like, though it took a second to place outside of Phin. I’m going to have so much fun learning your expressions and what makes you tick.”

“I want that, yes. I don’t know who wouldn’t want to make you scream their name. You are a goddess and I just want to worship before you. That is what feels right for this first time. Later we can get to you bent over the nearest surface, begging for me to fuck you. There is all the time in the world for both. I want to bend for you. I want you to bend for me. Do you feel the same?”

Charity leaned forward again, setting her forehead against Jenny’s. They were breathing the same air now, the floral perfume Charity wore a heady scent, so strong with the other woman pressed against her. “I do. I truly do. And I want both of us to ruin Phin for any other woman out there in the world.”

Jenny’s lips turned up. “I don’t think that will be hard.”

“No. No, it truly won’t.” Charity finally kissed Jenny, just a brush of lips but it was enough to make Jenny’s knees weak. She was glad for the door at her back as it was definitely the only thing holding her up. “But why not try and turn the tables this time? If you want us to give and take in the future, what was stopping you from trying to make me bend this time?”

Jenny thought about that for a second, brain moving slower, wanting to get back to kissing the other woman instead of talking. “We’re here because of you, because you saw me walk out onto the stage, saw how Phineas looked at me, and instead of trying to burn things to ruin, you saw fit to build something. You are the one who proposed this arrangement. It only seems fitting that this first time you’re the one to take charge. And for the first time I think in my adult life, I want someone else to take charge. No man who has been with me has ever been in charge.”

“But they always think they are.”

Jenny laughed quietly at that. “They do, but they never are, not really.”

“But you want this, truly, for me to lead and for you to follow.”

“Yes.”

“Oh, Jenny,” Charity breathed. 

And then she pulled Jenny away from the door until she was in the middle of the room and she disappeared behind Jenny. She felt the clasps on her dress falling open under nimble fingers and a second later she pulled it over her head without instruction. The cool air felt good on her overheated skin and she shivered as Charity untied the knot of her corset and set to loosening it.

“As much as I appreciated how you looked in this, I truly wish it was faster to get off of you. I want your skin, want all of you, right now.” Charity’s voice was husky in her ear.

“I’ve always enjoyed the feeling of someone getting me out of my corset, the anticipation it builds for what’s to come.”

Charity nibbled on her earlobe and Jenny almost collapsed to the floor. “I’m sure you didn’t derive any joy from men scrambling to undo a few simple laces.”

Jenny chuckled. “The goods ones knew to slow down and take their time. It was only the young, inexperienced, or too in a hurry to really care about my pleasure that had the problems.”

“I suppose I could see that.” The corset came loose and Charity helped Jenny tug it off over her head and a second later it was on the floor. “Though a few of my favorite times with Phin have been when he’s been far too eager to get the damned thing off me and just pulled it down enough to get to the important bits and got down to business.” Jenny felt her shiver behind her.

“Yes, but he knows how, and knows you, and has learned what you like and don’t like and just wants to bring you pleasure. Our first time he had it untied and off of me like he was unwrapping a particularly good present. I can’t say that feeling his big hands pulling at the laces wasn’t a turn on. Same with him tying the corset tonight. I thought about having a quick go with him, but he said you’d kill us if we were late.”

Charity had stepped forward again now that the corset was off and her mouth was making its way down Jenny’s neck, sucking and nipping and making Jenny tremble like a leaf in the wind as words poured from her mouth. She found Charity’s hands and pulled them around her, wanting the woman as close as possible. Charity smirked against her skin, but she allowed herself to be tugged forward and her hands glided over Jenny’s stomach through her chemise.

“I would’ve killed you, yes. I was far too eager to get to this part of the night for it to be delayed any. Though...if I had walked in on the two of you, perhaps the girls would have been the only ones at dinner.”

“They would have come looking for us, it would have cut the fun short, and more would have been the pity.”

“Yes, I suppose you’re right, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not excited for the morning with the both of you. Perhaps you can demonstrate just what you had in mind for him earlier tonight.”

Jenny leaned back against the other woman as her mouth went back to driving her insane. “But then he would put out of commission rather quickly, and what fun would that be?”

“Oh, I think he would find it in himself to recover post-haste watching us get up to no good with each other, don’t you think?” Charity pushed back and had Jenny’s petticoats up and off before she even realized what was happening and then Jenny was only standing there in her chemise and with another tug of fabric, even that was on the floor.

“I see someone had the same idea to not wear drawers tonight.” Charity’s voice was dark chocolate, decadent and luxurious and leaving her begging for more.

“The less clothing I was wearing tonight, the better. And I think I would’ve also ruined them.”

“I can certainly see that.” Charity’s finger drifted down and cupped Jenny gently for a second before pulling back. Her hand was glistening in the low lamplight as she held it up. She locked her eyes with Jenny’s and then licked it off slowly.

“Oh God,” Jenny whimpered.

“You taste wonderful, dear heart.” She pulled Jenny into another kiss and she could taste herself on her lips. She had tasted herself before, but never had the taste of herself turned her on in such a lightning-fast manner. Combined with the taste of Charity, she could get drunk on this and never regret a single moment.

“Please,” she whimpered as they drew apart. She felt like she was on fire now and she ached in such a way that felt like if this woman in front of her didn’t touch her soon, she was going to die.

“On the bed. Now.”

Jenny didn’t waste any time. She turned and practically ran the few steps to the bed and climbed on, scooting until she was in the middle of it, leaning back against the pillows. Charity’s eyes followed her, dark and hungry and Jenny felt another zing of arousal course through her. As embarrassing as it was, she was sure as soon as Charity touched her clit she was going to come at that exact second. She couldn’t bring herself to regret that fact.

“The fact that I have the famous Jenny Lind in my home, desperate for my touch, it’s a heady, heady thing.” Charity stalked forward, looking for all the world like a jungle cat about to pounce on her prey. 

Jenny nodded fervently. “Please.”

Charity climbed on the bed and crawled forward until she was hovering over Jenny. Her hair was starting to fall out of its prim and proper bun and the wisps tickled against Jenny’s skin. “Do you know any word but please right now?”

“Charity,” Jenny replied. Oh, she knew a great many words right now, mostly curse words in both English and Swedish, but there were more. However, being cocky wouldn’t get her what she truly wanted.

“I suppose those are the only ones you need.” Charity leaned down again and kissed Jenny with the scorching intensity of a fire. One of her hands coasted down Jenny’s body, fingertips finding all the sensitive spots as it slowly explored, tracing delicate hollows next to her clavicle, pinching already aching nipples, circling her belly button and making her laugh involuntarily into their kiss, scratching at protruding hip bones, and then carding through rough hair at the apex of her thighs. 

Jenny had to pull back from the kiss to try and breathe. She wanted Charity to touch her there so badly oxygen wasn’t getting to her brain, she was sure of it. She was so breathless, that had to be the explanation.

“Please,” she said and perhaps that was really the only word she knew now. She couldn’t seem to remember any others. How quickly she had lost everything else. She looked up into brown eyes, black now with arousal and a smirk that had her skin breaking out in goosebumps.

“Are you going to come the second I touch you?” 

“Yes.” There was no other answer. She felt herself on the precipice of something huge. Every nerve ending felt alive, waiting, holding its breath until Charity’s fingers moved a few scant inches and sent them flying into a world of pleasure they experienced before. Jenny had known this relationship would change things, but she didn’t think it would change  _ everything _ , but here she was, being proven wrong. The second Charity sent her flying over the edge, she would be changed. It wouldn’t only be Phineas that was ruined for other women for the rest of time, it would be her too.

“And if I asked you not to?”

Jenny couldn’t even begin to form words, she just whimpered. 

“Oh you would try, wouldn’t you?”

Jenny nodded slowly.

“But you don’t think you could.”

This time she shook her head. No, she really didn’t think she could. She was a live wire and Charity was kerosene. The second she was touched, she would arc and cause a fire that would burn everything that had been and leave behind everything that would be.

“How about you just come more than once for me.”

And Charity didn’t give her a choice because her fingers were coasting down that last few inches, parting her lips, and then they were on Jenny’s clit, fleeting touches, trying to draw it out, but it was no real use. The second that Charity touched her with any real pressure, Jenny was arching into her touch and moaning loudly enough to wake the dead. Her body was engulfed in pleasure and her mind saw only stars and the engulfing blackness of Charity’s eyes. Everything was new, everything was perfect, everything was. And as the last jolts of pleasure went through her, Charity started to touch her again, avoiding her clit, exploring, finding other sensitive places that would draw out a whimper or a groan, circling her entrance tantalizingly before moving on and Jenny found herself almost right back on the edge again before she had even fully come down from her last orgasm.

“That’s it, good girl, give me another one,” Charity purred and Jenny could do nothing but obey.

Charity slipped one finger inside Jenny carefully, then two, thrusting gently until Jenny’s hips were meeting her thrust for thrust. Then her thumb was on Jenny’s clit again and that edge grew closer and closer until Charity curled her fingers in just the right way and Jenny was flying again maybe two minutes after her first orgasm, more intense, more mind-altering, more changing than the last.

“Charity!” She cried and she felt tears at the corners of her eyes. It was too much. It was too little. She wanted more of this woman. As much as she would give and then maybe even more after that.

She collapsed back on the bed, feeling completely spent already, but it seemed Charity still had other ideas. 

“There’s another one in you, I can feel it.” She flexed her fingers, still inside Jenny and Jenny arched her back, making noises she had never made beforehand. There was no way in hell she could come again without at least some rest. Charity had unmade her and then reassembled her. She needed time to settle in, but Charity didn’t seem to be about to give that time to her.

She leaned down and kissed Jenny again, soft and slow and Jenny appreciated the break, appreciated getting lost in sliding tongues and nipping teeth that slowly morphed into a hot and heavy kiss that she lost track of as soon as Charity started to move her fingers again. She groaned and moaned and squirmed, but Charity caught every sound in her mouth, never letting her drawback from the kiss, always moving with her as she thrashed under her. Jenny felt like she was deliciously under siege. Her body felt defenseless, her mind had surrendered, but still the plundering continued on. 

Charity’s fingers were curling with every stroke, her thumb was relentless, pressing on Jenny’s clit with every stroke, and despite herself, despite the tiredness that weighed her muscles down, despite how sensitive everything was, she felt herself slowly building to another climax. She wasn’t sure if this one would be as mind-altering as the ones before, or if it would be calm and warm, almost gentle. She wasn’t even sure if her body knew what to expect as Charity built her up again like she knew Jenny’s body as intimately as a lover of many years would even after only a few minutes. What in the world would Charity do to her when she learned every secret her body held? Would she even survive to see it?

“Charity, Charity, please,” Jenny wrenched back from the kiss and begged, and she wasn’t even sure what she was begging for, for her to stop, or for her to never stop.

“Just a little more,” Charity whispered before kissing Jenny again and Jenny just let herself go. She let her body only feel and let her mind go blank. Every spark of pleasure that coursed through her was a fleck of gold against the vast empty space of her mind, every moan a sparkling jewel. By the time Charity forced another orgasm from her, her mind would be a glittering sea of pleasure, exploding out into stars.

And as slow as she had built up the peak hit her unexpectedly. It washed over her as mending warmth, like a summer rain and she smiled all the way through it and laughed into Charity’s mouth, the other woman still kissing her. Her arms wrapped around Charity’s neck and she drew the other woman down, pressing them completely skin to skin for the first time. Jenny shivered at the little aftershocks the feeling of soft skin drew out of her. Oh, Charity felt wonderful against her and her tired, spent body. She kissed Charity’s neck and just breathed her in for a long, long moment. It seemed as if the world had stopped and they were just existing together, waiting until both of them were ready to move on.

“So,” Charity said, pulling back enough to look Jenny in the eye again, “worth waiting three months?”

Jenny rolled her eyes. “I think you know exactly how well you did, Mrs. Barnum.”

“Well, a lady never does tire of hearing her suitor sing her praises.” She lifted a flirty eyebrow.

“How about instead of singing your praises, I just return the favor and show you just how well you did.” She paused for a moment. “After a few more minutes. I think my limbs would just give out on me if I moved right now. Three orgasms in less than fifteen minutes will do that I suppose.”

“Well, I suppose that is praise enough, to know you can’t move.” Charity did a pleased little wiggle and Jenny pulled in a breath. Nothing should still feel that good, and yet here they were.

“Yes, but when I can move, you’re done for.” She pulled Charity into a kiss that lingered for a long time. Kissing the woman above her was quickly making its way to the top of her favorite things to do.

“I’m shivering in my boots,” Charity said, mumbling the words into Jenny’s lips.

“You don’t even have boots on, darling.” She raked one hand down Charity’s back, leaving scratches down the other woman’s back and causing her to shiver. “You’re just shivering.”

“Oh, I see how it is. Now that you’ve had a few orgasms, now you’ll be fiesty.”

“Some bite was inevitable.” She pushed a wisp of Charity’s hair back behind her ear. “But tell me what you want me to do, and I’ll do it in a heartbeat.”

Charity licked her lips, looking down at Jenny, a thousand different possibilities scrolling across her face before she finally spoke. “I want you to taste me. And I want you to look at me the entire time you’re doing it.”

And suddenly all the strength that had left her limbs had returned. “Then let me up and I’ll get to work.”

“What happened to your limbs not working.” But Charity was already moving, flopping down on the bed beside Jenny, looking at her expectantly.

Jenny pushed herself up and looked down at Charity and had to take a moment. This woman splayed out beneath her was a true sight indeed. “You said the words ‘taste me’ and suddenly there was plenty of strength to go around. I admit, I’ve thought of doing this exact thing to you since Phineas said you rather enjoyed it. You taught him well. I still think about it. He was the first to ever do that to me.” She bit her lip. Charity doing the same to her? Oh suddenly she could go for another round again, but no that’s not what this was about, not right now anyway. She needed Charity to come undone beneath her before she attended to her own needs again.

“Well then, let's see if I can teach you just as well.” She gripped Jenny’s shoulder and pushed her downwards. 

Jenny complied, dropping kisses and nips as she went, watching as Charity’s muscles jumped under her skin at the touches. She smiled. This woman, feeling so turned on for her, it was intoxicating. She had always felt a rush of power, knowing that she aroused another person, but with Charity it was more. Oh with her and Phineas in front of her, turned on, she would feel invincible, she was sure.

And then she was between Charity’s legs, breathing in the sweet musky scent of her arousal and seeing just how wet she was. She licked her lips and looked up at Charity. Charity was staring down at her, eyes somehow even darker now. She wondered if there was any iris left, her pupils were blown so wide. She smirked and reached out and parted her lips and blew a breath of cold air over her now exposed clit. Charity shivered hard and let out a soft moan.

“You’ve learned a thing or two from Phin I see.”

“I’ve always been a rather good student.” And then she leaned forward, licking the wetness that coated Charity’s thighs and humming. Charity tasted different than she herself did, a little saltier, a bit less of a tang, and more addicting. She licked up every drop she could and had Charity squirming under her before she ever really touched her. Well, it really only was fair after how Charity had treated her. 

“Jenny,” Charity said warningly.

Jenny smirked but complied, reaching out and running the flat of her tongue in broad strokes up and down the whole of Charity’s sex. The taste was more intense, but the real reward was watching Charity’s eyes slam shut and her head fall back. Charity started to tremble lightly under her. Jenny wondered just how close she was to the edge. Fucking her through three orgasms and being turned on for hours that day, she had to be fairly close to the edge. She wondered idly how long she could keep her on the edge like this. She wondered how long Charity would tolerate it before she glared down and forced Jenny’s face harder into her sex. A little thrill went through her at the thought.

So she kept up the broad strokes, licking around, trying to find just what rhythm worked best, the little places that had Charity throwing her head back again. Being this intimately connected with her, she still felt Charity building up and up and up towards her orgasm. And then she pulled away to nip at the inside of Charity’s thigh and she felt Charity’s glare on her. She kissed the little bruise she had just created and smiled up at the other woman like she had done nothing wrong.

“I know what you’re doing.”

“I would be surprised if you didn’t. You are an intelligent woman after all, darling.” She dove back in, building Charity back up again with the same long broad licks. Charity was squirming enough that Jenny had to wrap her arms around her thighs and hold her in place. She laughed into Charity at the thought of what stopping again would do to her. Her glare would be hot enough to melt iron, but that wasn’t about to stop her from doing it again.

Just when she felt Charity about to come she drew back again and this time, without any hesitation, Charity grabbed onto her hair and shoved her face back to where it so clearly belonged. 

“Make me come, damn it, Jenny.” Her eyes were lit by a possessed fire that had another wave of wetness coating the inside of Jenny’s thighs. Oh my.

Well. There was nothing else to do but to make her come then was there? She dispensed with the long broad licks and went directly to lashing Charity’s clit with her tongue. Immediately Charity stiffened and moaned so loud Jenny idly wondered if even with the distance the girls would hear what they were up to. Hopefully, Phineas was entertaining them well. And when Charity was just on that edge of coming, Jenny sucked her clit into her mouth and pulled hard and Charity screamed her release to the ceiling. 

She kept up her assault, guiding Charity through the aftershocks until Charity pulled on her hair, pulling her back up her body. She settled down next to Charity, cuddling into the woman feeling content. She wanted to do so much more for the woman, but that could wait a few minutes. Though, if she was really keeping score, it would have only been fair for her to force another orgasm out of Charity immediately at the very least. Oh well, there were a thousand nights stretching out before them where she could repay the favor.

“Evil, evil woman,” Charity finally said, drawing Jenny closer to her.

“I think you secretly enjoyed every second of it.” Jenny’s eyes slipped closed. If she let herself she could fall asleep right now like this, wrapped up in Charity. She felt so safe. The only thing that could make it better was Phineas on her other side.

“Perhaps I did, but I’m not about to admit that tonight.”

“That’s fair enough.” She yawned. It wasn’t even that late, but three orgasms were enough to make anyone a little sluggish. Even though she could certainly still go for another.

“You aren’t trying to fall asleep on me, are you?” Charity poked her lightly in the side.

Jenny laughed at the unexpected contact. “No, not at all, but it is rather comfortable like this.”

“Well, you’re not wrong about that, but I wasn’t much planning on sleeping for a much longer while yet. Perhaps not until the sun is rising. Perhaps not even then.”

Jenny drew in a long breath. “Well, darling, what exactly did you have in mind to fill that time?”

“You straddling my thigh, grinding against it, making yourself come while you fuck me as hard as you can.”

Oh yes, that sounded delicious. In fact, she already was pounding just thinking about it. She pushed herself up and out of Charity’s arms the next second. “And tell me, do you have many more ideas where that came from?”

“I have a lifetime of ideas.”

“Wonderful.” She straddled Charity’s thigh and sighed. Oh, that already felt great.

“I thought so. And Jenny?”

Jenny met Charity’s eyes. “Don’t be gentle right now. I mean it. Fuck me like you mean it.”

Jenny smirked. “Now that I think I can do.” She slipped forward and plunged a finger into Charity. The other woman gasped and arched under her, moaning. 

“A good start,” Charity managed to moan out.

“I thought so too.” She set a slow, hard rhythm with the one finger, grinding herself against Charity’s thigh in time with the thrusts, putting more power behind them. After a few thrusts, she slipped in another finger and Charity’s moans grew louder. They moved together for a few minutes. Jenny felt sweat beading at the base of her spine, felt the breath rush in and out of her body, but she didn’t care. All she cared about was Charity’s little whimpers and moans and the muscles gripping her fingers like they were sad to see them go with every thrust, and also just how quickly her own orgasm was building from nothing more than grinding on Charity’s thigh. It all felt too perfect.

“Please, more,” Charity begged.

Jenny slipped in a third finger and felt the other woman stretch around her. She shivered. Nothing should feel this good. No one should have this much power over another human. Yet here they were, reveling in pleasure, exchanging power back and forth like it was nothing. And she wouldn’t change a thing about it. Everything that had led to this moment was worth it. There had been struggles, there had been heartbreak, there had been everything in-between, but if it had led her to this moment, and to Charity and Phineas, then that was all that mattered. She finally felt free.

“Oh god, Charity,” she whimpered out.

“I know. Fuck, I know.”

And Charity using profanity just sent her closer to the edge. She was close. She knew Charity was close. Her muscles were starting to flutter around her fingers. They both just needed a little more. A little more for Charity was easy enough. She reached out with her free hand and found the other woman’s clit and circled it gently. Charity’s back arched at the touch and the howl that came out of her mouth would feature in every wet dream Jenny ever had for the rest of her life. If she had a free hand she would fan herself, but there were much more important things to do.

“Please come for me,” Jenny begged.

And Charity did just that. She screamed until her voice gave out, muscles clamping down on Jenny’s fingers until they could barely keep thrusting in and out. Charity’s leg jerked, increasing the pressure on Jenny’s sex and Jenny felt herself a centimeter from the edge and then there were Charity’s fingers on her clit, clumsy and uncoordinated, but it was more than enough. She came, feeling the extra wetness flow out of her onto Charity’s thigh. She moaned, slipping and sliding, riding out the aftershocks and then collapsing down onto Charity. Now she really felt the heaviness in her limbs. Perhaps a little catnap. She was sure Charity would feel a bit of the tiredness now that she had come twice. Maybe she would have a bit of mercy on her.

Charity’s fingers carded through the loose hair on her head. “This is all so much better than I had even imagined, and I knew it would be marvelous.”

Jenny didn’t quite have control of her tongue yet, so she just nodded. Why had she even been nervous about all of this? This had already made it into her top sexual encounters and it wasn’t even over yet.

“I’m not even close to being done with you, dear heart, but perhaps now is as good a time as any to rest a bit.”

“How gracious of you,” Jenny couldn’t help but snark.

“I could just flip you over now and have my way with you.” Charity’s hands found the pins in her hair and started taking them out gently one by one.

“That’s not really that much of a threat and both of us know it.” She sighed and melted further into Charity at the feeling of her hands in her hair. It had been a long, long time since someone had played with her hair and the feeling had always settled her.

“It wasn’t truly meant to be, and I think we both know that, too.”

Jenny hummed her agreement. With Charity’s fingers in her hair and now that she was laying still against a warm body, the feeling of sleepiness was creeping closer and closer. “I suppose we do,” she mumbled. Just a quick cat nap. She really did want to make Charity scream her name at least a few more times tonight.

“Sleep. I’ll wake you up when I can’t stop myself from touching you anymore.”

She yawned again. “I’ll hold you to that.” And then she settled down into Charity and in a second drifted into the light sleep of someone well-loved. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the final chapter. I love these three fluffy babes so much. I hope y'all do too.

Jenny pried her eyes open, morning light hitting her right in the face. She could have sworn that the curtains had been closed the night before. She inhaled and stretched. Well, it was simple enough to just turn over. It seemed like a good idea anyway. Charity wasn’t wrapped around her anymore. She could still feel the other woman’s warmth, so she wasn’t far, but she missed the closeness. They had only fallen asleep what had to have been at most a few hours before. They deserved a lazy morning and her being wrapped around Charity seemed to be a perfect way to start that.

She started to turn over but stopped. Something was out of place. She took in another breath and smelled coffee, bacon, and something else vaguely breakfast related, but she couldn’t place it. She sat up and looked around and there was one tray full of food on the nightstand on Charity’s side of the bed. She smiled. Phineas had already been in it seemed. He was probably the one to have opened the curtains to try and wake them more gently. 

The door to the room opened and Phineas came in with another tray with a tea service and she smiled widely at him as he kicked the door closed. He smiled back, eyes immediately dropping to her naked upper half. She laughed at him and flopped back on the bed.

“Mmm, is our darling man here to reap the rewards of his patience?” Charity mumbled into her pillow.

“He is, but he brought provisions, coffee and tea and some sort of breakfast from the smell of it.”

“Bacon, eggs, and pancakes. The girls insisted on the pancakes this morning and who was I to resist?” Phineas set the tea service on the nightstand next to Jenny and bent over to kiss her. He was freshly shaved and still smelled strongly of his aftershave. She sighed and let him ravage her mouth. He was so very eager and she was willing to let him do the work this morning. She felt bathed in a golden glow, relaxed and completely sated still. She had lost track of how many times she had come the night before. She saw no need to get all worked up just yet, but God did Phineas know how to kiss.

He pulled back and cleared his throat. “Good morning, angel” he husked out.

“Good morning, darling. Exactly how fast are you about to inhale your breakfast so you can get to the part of the morning you’ve been looking forward to?”

“I already ate with the girls.” He grinned.

She rolled her eyes and pushed him up. “Go kiss your wife good morning and let me have my tea before you start getting any ideas.”

He walked around the bed and sat down on the edge of it, reaching out and stroking Charity’s hair back from her face. “Good morning, my love.”

“Morning, dear heart.”

“Coffee?”

“Of course, but first listen to our dear Jenny and kiss me.” She rolled over enough that Phineas had easier access to her mouth. 

He obliged and bent down, kissing her with that same intensity that he had just kissed Jenny. She watched them, feeling that golden contentment grow deeper. It felt so natural to be here with them, as part of them, and the days ahead stretched, an Elysian future. Oh, they had things to work out. Relationships never came without work and getting to know one another and everything else in-between, but for once in her life, she felt like it would work out. 

They parted and Jenny scooted over to wrap herself around Charity with a sigh. Tea sounded good, yes, but right now Charity sounded better. She tucked her head under Charity’s chin and sighed, closing her eyes. She heard the sound of pouring liquid and the smell of coffee intensified.

“I know you’re not trying to go back to sleep, Jenny,” Phineas teased, sitting back on the bed and running his hand through her very tangled hair. It was going to be a nightmare to run a brush through later.

“No, I’m just enjoying a lazy morning with the people I love.”

“I can’t say I’m opposed,” Charity said, voice humming in Jenny’s ear. “And if you were to happen to join us, Phin, I don’t think anyone would mind. More cuddling is never a bad thing.”

“Ah, but sitting up has coffee and tea while it's hot.” He held up the cup of coffee he had poured earlier.

“Mmm, he does make a good point about that,” Jenny said, still not moving from Charity’s side.

“He does.”

“And the caffeine would perk us up for another few rounds at least.”

“It would.”

“And the thought of you two together while I watch is very tempting.”

The hum that came from Charity was much more awake, much more feral. Even through that she heard Phineas’s quite groan. She smiled against Charity’s chest.

“I imagine if we had something to eat as well it would be even more than a few rounds. Perhaps until dinner provided the girls are suitably occupied.”

“They’re with their tutor until the afternoon and then the house matron is taking them to their ballet lessons. They’ll be back at dinner like normal,” Phineas said.

“I thought they might.” Charity smiled up at her husband, all teeth and intent.

“My, my, we are going to be busy as bunnies these next few weeks, aren’t we?” Jenny smiled, thinking of just how well they would know the other’s bodies at the end of this little honeymoon period. She couldn’t wait to render Charity a puddle on the floor with just a touch. She was already there with Phineas, but he hadn’t been so hard to figure out. This future thought of having them both under her control? It was an intoxicating thought.

“If I have anything to say about it,” Phineas said, practically squirming on the bed. 

Jenny glanced down at his trousers and saw he was already hard as a rock. Poor man, and here they were teasing him. She was most assuredly going to add to it.

She sat up finally and scooted over until she could pour herself a cup of tea and then carefully scooted back so she was pressed against Charity again. She blew on the steaming liquid and looked Phineas dead in the eye and took a drink while pushing out her chest. His eyes dropped immediately and he swallowed.

“At least this time you can do something about it, darling,” Jenny said after she swallowed.

Charity sat up beside her and reached for the cup of coffee, leaning up enough that the covers fell off of her completely. Phineas’s gaze grew even darker taking in his wife’s entire body.

“You weren’t kidding about being naked and ready for me,” he growled.

“And to think of what we could already be doing if you hadn’t brought breakfast.” Charity grinned at him and took a sip of coffee and hummed, delighted. “Oh, I could give everything up from this life, but God would I miss the good coffee.”

“Good thing you won’t have to, then, isn’t it?” Phineas asked, standing from the bed and pulling out plates and forks and knives and divvying the food up onto them and sitting back down, setting a plate in front of both Charity and Jenny. “The profits from Jenny’s tour more than made sure of that.”

“Happy to do my part to provide for the family.” Jenny snorted. She had already donated most of her share to charity, but as always she had kept enough to make sure she was comfortable. Considering she was thinking about buying a manor beside these wonderful humans, it was good that she had saved a bit more than she normally would have.

Charity set her coffee aside and picked up the plate, taking a piece of bacon and consuming it in two bites. “Whatever shall you do next, great provider.”

Jenny had to laugh at that. “I was mostly thinking about taking a break and enjoying my family for a time. And then perhaps joining the Met for a season. That sounds like it would be very fun, honestly. I’ve heard great things about their costume and set departments.”

“And if I suggested another tour?” Phineas sat up straighter, looking like an eager puppy.

“Not anytime soon, darling. Let a woman have a break. I imagine it’s only going to be harder to be away from Charity and the girls the next time. I missed them and barely knew them. Now? It will be like a piece is missing.”

“I suppose it’s hard to argue with that.” Phineas shrugged.

“Unless we decided to come along with you,” Charity said. “In a couple years the girls will be old enough to really appreciate traveling around. It could be a grand adventure for all of us.”

“Now that,” Jenny said, setting aside her own tea to start eating, “sounds like a grand idea. Plan that tour for anytime.” 

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Phineas stood up and slipped off his boots, suit jacket, and waistcoat. He poured himself a cup of coffee and climbed more fully onto the bed to sit next to Charity. “If we hit less cities, or over a longer period, we could take in a show at every stop. Caroline was thrilled at all the ballet programs I got for her, imagine how excited she would be to see a show. And Helen, all the art museums we could go to, if that’s where she wants to go.” His eyes lit up, planning a tour that was far, far in the future.

“Don’t put the horse before the cart dear, I said in a couple years. We have all the time in the world to plan it. Perhaps, though, we should take a family trip, no circus, no work, just all of us, sooner, perhaps this winter.” 

Jenny turned to look at Charity, her eyes soft. The ski trip, she really, truly wanted to do it. She felt her heart beating in her chest, felt love suffusing every part of her.

“That sounds wonderful. Where to?”

“Somewhere to ski, we can’t pass up the opportunity to learn from an expert, can we?” She bumped her shoulder against Jenny who smiled and blushed at the compliment.

“I told you I’m not an expert.”

“But you’re Swedish, so that qualifies you more than either one of us,” Phineas said, smiling. “The closest I’ve been to skiing is sledding on discarded scraps of wood we made into sleds when I was young. I’d love to learn how to ski.”

She turned to look at Charity and both of them held in a laugh. Oh that photograph they had both joked about was definitely happening.

“That look you both exchanged screamed of mischief. Are you already planning to shove me into a snow drift?”

“I guess you’ll just have to see, darling.” 

“It’s nothing permanently scarring and the girls will most certainly laugh.” Charity smiled and scooped a bite of eggs up on her fork as Phineas watched her with amused eyes.

“Then I suppose I’ll let you have your secrets.”

“Oh, dear heart, you’re going to have to let us have our secrets.” Charity laughed, putting aside her mostly finished plate. 

“And why do I think that half those secrets are going to revolve around me and tricks involving me?”

“Because you are a rather intelligent man.” Jenny pointed a fork at him with a bite of pancake on the end. “And besides, you know we both love you. So what’s the worst that could happen? You already know you’re getting trouble. What was it you said to me back in Louisville, that Charity had a spark of fun and I had a hint of mischief and that we’d combine like an explosion to light up the room? It sounds true enough now.”

“Most of the mischief is going to be...pleasurable, anyway.” Charity purred, crawling forward to kiss Phineas again.

Jenny scooped the last few bites of food into her mouth and put the plate aside. If things were about to get interesting again, she didn’t want to be stuck eating the last bits of food. Oh no, she was definitely going to be fully entranced. 

Charity pulled back from the kiss. “However, some of it will just be plain mischief.” She gestured to the trays of coffee and tea. “And I think you should take those back down to the kitchen before something gets broken in our exploits.”

Phineas raised an eyebrow. “Just how enthusiastic are you planning on being, Mrs. Barnum?”

Charity just smiled, innocent as an angel. “Well, there are three of us now. Who knows what we’ll get up to. And Jenny and I are most definitely not in any shape to take the trays out. So that leaves you.”

“Trying to kill me again, Charity, aren’t you?”

“Or perhaps I just need you to leave so I can plan something rather pleasurable with Jenny.” She pushed him lightly off the bed and he went willingly, gathering up the dishes and consolidating them onto one tray. He slipped on his suit jacket again and shook his head at both of the women before picking up the tray and walking towards the door.

“You know it will be worth it,” Jenny called after him.

He paused long enough to answer. “Oh I know, fire and kerosene, I know.”

The door shut behind him and Jenny turned to Charity. “Did you really have a plan or?”

“Oh no, I figure whatever we throw at him will be good enough. We’re naughty enough without planning. I really just wanted a chance to freshen up.” She stood and stretched and groaned. “After a day in bed with you and Phin, I’m going to be so, so sore.”

“That will be worth it too.”

“Mmm, that it will.” She slipped off to the bathroom and emerged a few minutes later. Jenny took her place and quickly brushed her teeth and performed all the necessary duties. She looked at herself in the mirror above the sink as she was washing her hands. She looked happy, happier than she had seen herself in years. She smiled at the amount of hickeys that covered her. Charity seemed to love leaving marks and Jenny didn’t mind one bit, though it would be a few days before she could really go much of anywhere unless she broke out her stage makeup. She supposed she would definitely have more come dinner time and she smiled wider at the thought.

She emerged back into her room and climbed into bed beside Charity. “I thought he would be back by now.”

“Phin has never gone anywhere without stopping to talk to someone for at least five minutes. Never met a stranger that man.”

Jenny thought about it and nodded. She was right, but she really hadn’t noticed, being by his side. She had appreciated being with him too much to notice the time passing them by.

“But he has incentive.”

“So it will be five minutes instead of ten.” Charity shrugged, a fond smile on her face. 

Jenny flopped back again and sighed. “Thank you,” she said, quietly.

“I feel like I should be thanking you instead.” Charity laid down beside Jenny, caressing her face gently. “It may have been my idea, but it was only because of you that it worked out.”

Jenny considered that for a moment. “I suppose so, but really, the interplay of all of us was important.”

“True enough.” 

They looked at each other, sunlight bathing them, gilding their curves, lighting their eyes up with honeyed shades. Jenny could hardly breathe looking at Charity, anticipation weighing her stomach down, waiting for Phineas to return, waiting for the three of them to be one.

“This is the first real day of all of us, but it’s so hard to not look to the future,” Jenny admitted, breathless.

“I know what you mean,” Charity said, voice just as soft, as if they spoke the words any louder it would collapse everything around them. “But something just tells me it will work out. No matter what the future holds.” Her hand cupped Jenny’s cheek. 

Jenny leaned into the touch, so at peace in the moment.

“I told Phin not to put the horse before the cart, but…” Charity trailed off.

“We already have.” A fleeting thought of another little girl who looked like a combination of her and Phineas flashed before her eyes. It would be a nightmare to pull off, but…

“Yes, but we’ll figure it out. Anything we want or need. We can figure it out.” She gave Jenny a significant look and then drew her in for a kiss. 

And then the door opened and Phineas was in the room again. “Oh I see, it was just so you could start the party without me. How unfair.”

Both of them broke apart laughing. Well, that was one way to interpret them kissing, Jenny supposed. The next second a very naked Phineas was in-between them, and there was no time for thoughts of a golden future because she was sandwiched between both of the people she loved, nerve endings on fire once again. The future could wait. Whatever it held, whatever problems and their solutions, they would only be strengthened by existing wholly in this moment. So she did. 


End file.
